Crossed Souls
by CounterKnight291543
Summary: In the midst of the Xyz Dimension's tumultuous reconstruction effort, Yuya Sakaki is still making people smile. But in a world of harsh realities, little stability and new threats, it isn't easy. Fortunately, he doesn't have to face it alone. This a Counterpartshipping fic that explores the development of Yuya and Yuto's relationship following the war. Same AU as Bittersweet Heat!
1. Shining Armour

Chapter 1: Shining Armour

Neo Heartland City.

Once a great hub of trade, commerce and nightlife, it had been the beating heart of a wealthy and prosperous dimension, its people working tirelessly day and night to make sure the city lived up to its name. Their laughter and enjoyment, their hopes and dreams, filled the air with an overriding feeling of achievement. Their pride dripped down from every building, every monument, and every flag until it covered the whole city in a veil of accomplishment that shone brighter than any of its dazzling neon lights.

…But Yuya had never known that city. The only city he knew was one of rubble and ash, an almost inhospitable wasteland of despair and chaos.

Yuya sighed as he stared out of the classroom window, a thick layer of ash still visible on the deserted streets in the distance.

It had been exactly one year since the end of the Dimensional War, and although the fires were no longer burning and much of the debris had been cleared away, there was still a lot of work to be done to restore the city to its former glory.

For the remaining residents and survivors within the city, the last twelve months had been a difficult and somewhat troublesome scramble to reclaim their pride and rebuild what was lost. Under the watchful eye of Reiji Akaba however, the reconstruction effort was soon reorganised and infrastructure was made a priority, with the education system being of first concern.

For Yuya, the last year had been much different. He'd spent it scouring the ruins of Heartland, searching for survivors and helping to rebuild their homes. What he didn't realise was how much he had been searching for himself out there amongst the rubble.

Out there, amidst the deafening silence of what used to be a vibrant and lively city, he finally had the time to think and ponder, to contemplate every issue that had plagued his mind since the beginning of the war. Of these, only one truly gnawed at his conscious, tormenting him day and night, causing a conflict within him that was far more destructive than the war… his sexuality.

It had taken him to the very brink of his physical and mental capability, testing his resolve with daily bouts of fear and confusion, clawing at his identity until he was consumed by his inner turmoil.

But it never broke him. For the sake of his family, his friends and most importantly his own sanity, he had to just respect and recognise what his body was telling him.

So he did. After weeks of deliberation and thought he simply accepted it.

He accepted that he was _gay._

It had been difficult to come to terms with, and although he hadn't shared his feelings with anyone else, it had made him happier and more confident than he'd ever been.

So much so that for the last few months he had returned to action dueling, using it to raise the spirits and morale of the survivors. He had even enrolled in Heartland's newly reopened college, studying drama and performance art.

His counterparts had been particularly thrilled to see him back to his old self, even if they still had no idea why he had been so distant.

Yuya smiled as he thought of his friends, recalling how well (nearly) all of them had taken to their new lives.

Yugo and Rin had, like Yuya, enrolled at Heartland college and were studying one-year courses in engineering whilst teaching the survivors in the city about the excitement of D-Wheels and riding duels.

Yuri and Serena had returned to the Fusion dimension to aid in the rehabilitation of the indoctrinated students that survived the war there, whilst Shun had stayed put, with Ruri doing her best to help her brother recover from the lasting effects of frontline combat.

Yuzu, Shingo, Gongenzaka and Sora had returned to Standard (although Yuya had no idea what had become of Sora after this, the others had lost track of him).

Yuya glanced up at the clock before taking another glance out of the window, his gaze landing upon a figure standing on the street below. Squinting, he craned his neck to see if he could identify them.

It was almost dark being mid-November, and with the drama department being located on the sixth floor of the college's main building it was almost impossible to make out who it was.

But Yuya knew.

His smile widened as he recognised the figure's signature dark clothing and sweeping amethyst bangs.

 _Yuto._

Yuya felt a warmth pool and settle in his stomach as he stared at the boy, his chin resting lazily on his hand, the desk he was leaning on creaking slightly as he shifted his weight.

He and Yuto were as close as they'd ever been. They lived together, studied together and dueled together. Yuya felt as though their bond had never been broken, never even wavered, despite them separating into two separate bodies. Whether Yuto felt that way, Yuya didn't know, but he did know that they were great friends and they could tell each other anything… well almost anything.

Yuya still hadn't told him about his struggle with his sexuality, which he thought was silly considering how Yuto himself was also gay. He was scared to… after all he didn't want Yuto to feel uncomfortable living with him.

It wasn't just that though… something inside of him was drawing him to Yuto and he wasn't sure why… maybe-

Yuya quickly snapped out of his trance as the loud ringing of the bell promptly brought him back to reality.

He hastily packed up his things and hurried out of the classroom, eager to meet Yuto for their daily walk home.

Sprinting, he practically flew down the stairs and out of the entrance to the building, only coming to a halt when he spotted Yuto leaning nonchalantly against a lamppost, its dim orange glow proving no match for the now pitch-black sky above.

Yuto immediately spotted him despite the poor lighting in the area and gave him a friendly wave before beckoning him over.

Yuya jogged on over as Yuto coolly walked towards him, the two friends opting to meet halfway.

"Yuto!" Yuya exclaimed as he slapped his friend on the back, his arm remaining there for a little longer than he'd intended.

"Hey Yuya," Yuto smiled heartily, both boys beginning to walk in the direction of their flat. "How was class?"

Yuya made a dissatisfied noise and placed his hands behind his head, his lips forming into a slight pout.

"That bad?" Yuto laughed as they turned a corner, the surviving street lamps becoming sparser.

"It's not that it's bad," Yuya explained, "it's just that theory and writing isn't my style, I want to be out there entertaining people, making them smile."

"You never change do you? You won't stop till the whole world is smiling." Yuto let out another chuckle.

Yuya scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I sure won't!" he replied, before shifting the conversation Yuto's way. "What about you? How did your lectures go?"

"Pretty standard, although I did get set a paper on the extent to which Venetian influences had an affect on the sack of Constantinople in 1204."

Yuya shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe you're doing a course in Medieval history, you're crazy… and way smarter than you let on!"

"Gratias tibi ago," Yuto replied, looking a little smug.

"See!" Yuya shrieked. "You're even fluently speaking another language now!"

"Well you can never really speak perfect Latin, it is a dead language after all… and with how my course is structured I won't get to learn it for much longer."

There was a moment of silence before Yuto continued, embarrassment seeping into his voice. "But I am getting my professor to give me extra lessons on it."

Yuya wanted to laugh at how much of a teacher's pet Yuto actually was, but he could see how proud he was of what he was doing, and he didn't want to hurt his feelings. Plus, he couldn't help but think how cute it was that Yuto was such a secret nerd, especially considering how cool and detached his exterior was.

"Yuto that's super awesome!" Yuya exclaimed, his enthusiasm catching his friend a little by surprise. "You'll be fluent in no time! You'll be teaching me next!"

It was Yuto's turn to nervously scratch his neck, his face turning a little pinker.

"Maybe one day," he smiled warmly, his hand dropping back to his side.

As Yuto did so, his hand brushed Yuya's, their fingers touching for the briefest of moments.

Yuya felt a fleeting warmth at the tips of his fingers, a tingle that made his stomach flutter and his heart beat a little faster.

He carried on walking, as if nothing had happened, but inwardly he was wondering why that had made him feel so strange.

He didn't have time to dwell it on though as the two boys turned for the final time on to a long stretch of road that had almost no streetlights. It was the final leg of their journey, just beyond this lay the block of flats they called home, in an area that made this one look like Hell on Earth.

This street had been the epicentre of the fighting on the north side of Heartland, a crucial roadway that had great strategic significance for both the armies of the Fusion and Xyz dimensions. The route it provided to the city's centre and the outlying concrete buildings that flanked each side of the road had proved to be decisive in the battle that decided the northern front. It was only through its near total destruction that the Fusion dimension had managed to overrun and capture it.

Yuya and Yuto both shuddered, images of the war flashing across their minds.

Yuya was scared. Very scared.

Part of the reason he enjoyed walking home with Yuto so much was that he felt safer having someone with him when he walked this street. Yuya didn't know if he knew how petrified of this place he was, but he tried not to let on.

Yuto looked at Yuya and took a step forward out of the safety of the streetlamp that lit this corner.

"Once more unto the breach," he half joked, seeing Yuya's panicked expression.

When Yuya still didn't move, Yuto held out his hand.

Yuya swallowed hard. He didn't know what to do.

He really wanted to take Yuto's hand, to feel safe and protected, but he didn't want to look like a child in front of his best friend. Plus, was he really serious about holding his hand the whole way? They had walked this street plenty of times after all (but never in total darkness).

Yuya bravely took a step forward instead and set his sights on the single streetlight that had survived Fusion's bombardment, its damaged bulb glowing intermittently as it swayed slightly in the wind. It was situated in the very middle of the street… a long way from they currently stood.

Yuto immediately retracted his hand and began walking ahead.

Was that a look of disappointment Yuya had seen on his face?

He couldn't tell, and not wanting to get left behind (not that Yuto would ever do that), he hurried after his friend.

They walked in silence, their footsteps echoing around the deserted street.

Yuya walked a few feet behind Yuto, never letting the boy out of his sight.

All he could see was Yuto's outline, the streetlamp too far away to cast shadows but close enough to be able to see his silhouette.

They were getting closer, but Yuya was becoming more and more uneasy.

"We'll be there in no time," Yuto called out from just in front of him, as if he somehow sensed his fear.

As they neared the faint light of the streetlamp, Yuya heard something.

It was a strange shuffling noise, almost as if someone was trying their best to conceal the sound of their footsteps…

Yuya's panic spiked and he really wished he'd taken Yuto's hand.

It's just the wind, he thought, trying to reassure himself.

He pressed on, Yuto's silhouette becoming much more defined as they approached the dim light. He could see him much more clearly now.

He breathed a sigh of relief and decided to take a look over his shoulder whilst continuing to walk cautiously.

Nothing but blackness.

Yuya's shoulders relaxed. Maybe they were going to be fine aft-

Yuya's shoulder suddenly hit something hard, his whole body bouncing back as he realised he must have walked into something.

His head span around to see what it was, his shoulder and chest still throbbing at the sharp pain.

It was Yuto.

He was stood, almost frozen in place, at the very edge of the arc of light that the lamp provided. He was looking directly ahead, as if he was unware that Yuya had just walked right into him.

Why was he stopping? Yuya thought, tentatively coming out from behind Yuto's shadow to get a better view of what he was looking at.

Yuya instantly regretted wanting to find out.

Beyond the light, directly in their path, stood a figure.

He was tall, much taller than them, and from what Yuya could make out, he was wearing a large black hoodie to cover his face.

The worst part, the part that made Yuya's stomach knot and twist in fear, was that he was holding a knife.

Its long blade glinted in the partial light of the streetlamp, the handle tucked firmly into the man's long sleeve.

Yuya quickly looked at Yuto, his bottom lip beginning to tremble at the thought of them never getting off this street alive.

Yuto on the other hand, looked quite calm considering the situation. His expression appeared impassive, almost laid-back, and yet it was still serious, with his brow permanently furrowed revealing his concern.

How could he be so calm?

It was true Yuya had seen combat during the war but this was completely different. During the war they had acted out of necessity, out of compulsion to stand up and fight for what was right. This was something else though… They were unarmed and defenceless, without duel disks and without weapons, facing an unknown threat.

Yuto had seen action too before merging with Yuya, but he sure as hell hadn't mentioned experiencing anything like this before.

The man began to creep forward slowly, brandishing the knife in front of him in a deliberately revealing manner, as if to make sure the boys knew exactly what he was holding.

Yuya was frozen to the spot, fear gripping him tightly.

Yuto suddenly spoke up, his voice firm and unwavering, "Get behind me."

Yuya stood staring at Yuto, his face a picture of fear and disbelief.

"Do it Yuya, I'm not going to let this guy hurt you."

A spark went off in his chest at hearing Yuto's words. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes as he realised how much he must mean to Yuto for him to do this.

He wasn't just protecting him, he was putting his body and life on the line in the slim hope that Yuya might survive.

Yuya bit his trembling lip and scurried back behind Yuto.

Behind his slim frame Yuya now felt safe, his fear assuaged by feelings of affection and gratitude.

The spark in his chest was only growing in intensity too, Yuto's chivalrous act of selflessness bringing back the same fluttery feeling he'd experienced earlier when their hands had touched.

Again though, he couldn't focus on the feeling as their would-be assailant was almost directly in front of them.

Peering over Yuto's shoulder, Yuya still couldn't make out the man's face. It was well concealed beneath his hood, as was his intention he presumed.

The man was almost a couple of metres away when he finally stopped, knife almost within swinging range of Yuto's face.

Yuya still couldn't discern any kind of detail from the man's well-hidden features. The only other thing he noticed about him was that he wore some kind of bandana wrapped around his lower jaw to mask his face.

The man tilted his head up and twirled the knife between his fingers, revealing a pair of dull brown eyes that glared daggers right through Yuya.

For a moment they just stood there, the man twirling his knife menacingly as Yuya trembled behind Yuto, the Xyz user gallantly standing his ground.

It was only when Yuya tried sniffing back some tears did the man speak, his voice hoarse and dry, but with an uneasy confidence to it as if he'd done this before,

"Nice night for a stroll, wouldn't you say?"

He stopped spinning his weapon and gestured around him chauvinistically.

Yuto was having none of it. His voice caught Yuya by surprise and gave him another warm protected feeling.

"Leave us alone!" he shouted back angrily, his voice never breaking or showing any sign of doing so.

"Now where would the fun be in that?" he replied threateningly, his tone mocking.

The man chuckled a little and took a few steps forward, his weapon now pointing right at Yuto's chest, it's point almost prodding at his jacket.

Yuto didn't move, he didn't even flinch. Yuya on the other hand was crying once again, a constant stream of tears rolling down his cheeks and onto the street below. His face was a picture of terror and despair, mostly for fear of his own life but also for that of his dear friend and now protector, Yuto.

The man again spoke, his tone just as mocking,

"Tell you what," he laughed, pulling the weapon up to Yuto's face and pressing it to his cheek. "If you hand over your wallet right now, I'll let you live."

Yuto again didn't so much as flinch… until the man spoke again, pushing the knife slightly over his shoulder to gesture at Yuya.

"But your boyfriend over there might not be so lucky..."

Yuto suddenly erupted into a fiery fit of rage, his cool demeanour shattering at hearing the man's threat on Yuya's life.

"NOOO!" he roared, grabbing the man's arm from his shoulder and pulling him towards him till their head's collided.

Yuya could only stand there, astonished by Yuto's bravery.

He heard a metallic clang as the knife hit the floor, and then the sickening crack of their heads meeting.

Both Yuto and their assailant staggered back in a daze, stunned from the impact.

"Yuto!" Yuya clamoured, adrenaline briefly taking over. He grabbed Yuto under his arms, trying his best to keep his friend on his feet.

The man wasn't finished with them however.

He groaned and staggered forwards, completely incensed by Yuto's audacity.

"Y-Yuya please, get back get back," Yuto cried still dazed, shrugging him off and taking a step back towards their assailant.

Yuya backed off. He felt so weak and powerless, and yet at the same time he could feel Yuto's desire to protect him, emanating from his body and lovingly wrapping him in a blanket of safety and assurance.

The man lunged forwards swinging his fist, his movement slow and heavy due to the shock.

Yuto, despite looking as rattled as Yuya had ever seen him, reacted quickly.

He swiftly ducked under his flailing arm and prepared to counter.

Using his smaller stature, he kept low and unleashed a fierce uppercut, catching the man square in his jaw.

He faltered, teetering and wobbling around the road as if he was completely drunk.

Eventually he stumbled backwards and tumbled to the ground.

Yuto immediately saw their opportunity and bellowed at Yuya, "RUN!"

But he couldn't.

His body was screaming for him to run, to take the opening that Yuto had made for him, but he couldn't take his eyes off the man that lay in the middle of the road.

He could have killed them.

He _would_ have killed them, if it wasn't for Yuto.

Yuya just stood, staring, his fear completely inhibiting his ability to think straight, let alone move. Along with being terrified, he was also strangely curious as to how someone could become like this, how they could become such a savage and careless being, willing to take a life over something as meagre as a wallet.

"Yuya we have to go, now!"

He still couldn't move, his legs turning to stone as their attacker began to stir on the ground in front of them.

"I-I-I can't," he stammered quietly, his body refusing to let him escape.

Yuto ran over and quickly took Yuya's hand in his own, taking him completely by surprise. The warmth of his touch was so tender that Yuya could feel his counterpart's empathy and compassion for him, almost as if the contact itself was allowing him to feel his emotions… was this because of the bond they had previously shared?

He didn't have time to find out as Yuto physically pulled him up the road till they were both stumbling, hand-in-hand, into the darkness.

Once Yuya's legs had started to move properly, the adrenaline finally doing its job, they sprinted as fast they could, never letting going of each other's hand.

After a good ten minutes or so of spirited but exhausting running, they eventually came to the block of flats where they lived, its bright neon lights welcoming them as they staggered breathless into the stairwell.

 _They'd made it_.

The realisation hit Yuya like a speeding bullet, the happiness it brought knocking him to his knees. He was sobbing uncontrollably, his fingers still entwined with Yuto's.

Yuto let go of Yuya's hand and knelt down to his level.

He placed his hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "It's alright Yuya, we made it, we're okay."

Yuya's arm crossed his chest and he grabbed at Yuto's hand, his crying becoming muffled as he wept into the fabric of his own shirt sleeve, his forearm soon soaked with his tears of happiness and trepidation.

"T-Thank you… so much," he whimpered, gripping tightly at his hand. "I'm so so sorry."

His crying slowed as a slew of apologies came spilling out of him all at once. "I'm sorry for taking us down that road, I'm sorry for not being able to help, I'm sorry for being usele-"

"No, don't be sorry," Yuto interrupted, "it isn't your fault, none of this was."

Yuya sniffed and choked back some tears. "But I was useless, you could have been killed."

"Yuya look at me."

Yuto pushed his arm down and gently pulled the boy's chin up with his thumb and forefinger.

Yuya felt a wave of heat quickly spread across his face at the touch, Yuto's compassion seeping through his fingers and massaging his mind with a love and affection he couldn't help but smile at.

Their eyes met. Yuya was struggling to see through his red and stinging eyes, but he could make out Yuto staring resolutely back at him, his benevolent gaze as strong as the steel that coloured his attentive eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, okay? Being scared is natural in a situation like that-"

"But you were so brave! I couldn't even run when you told me too…"

"No Yuya, _you_ were brave. I grew up in a place like this before the war, so I've seen this kind of thing before." Yuto pulled his fingers away and stroked Yuya's cheek softly.

Yuya smiled weakly at Yuto's praise and squeezed the hand that was still on his shoulder.

"But I need you to be braver for me now okay?" Yuto's voice was firmer now. "I need you to try and forget about this, to not let it get to you… okay?"

Yuya nodded in reply.

"And most of all… I need you to keep smiling."

Yuya couldn't help but beam back at him, the force of his words compelling him to do so. Yuto really was one of a kind.

After a long pause Yuya asked a question of his own, catching Yuto a little off guard. "Why did you go so far to protect me when you could have just ran?"

The Xyz user blushed slightly and thought for a moment about his response.

"Because…" he replied, "You mean so much to me… I couldn't bear to let the world lose the light of _your_ smile."

Yuya's face flushed a crimson red and his heart fluttered as it had done at Yuto's touch.

Emotions and feelings were stirring deep within him, and for a split-second he felt drawn to Yuto like never before, an attraction that he'd considered but only dismissed in the past.

Yuya just smiled nervously, evidently flustered by Yuto's admission and his own feelings.

What was this? he thought to himself. Did he really have a crush on his best friend? Or was this just a response to the protection Yuto had afforded him during their plight?

Yuto rose to his feet and pulled Yuya up with him, taking care to not to pull him too hard or too quickly.

"We better get upstairs," he said casually. "We have a lot of reading to do for our assignments."

Yuya just smiled and nodded, but as Yuto was walking away he grasped at his hand, desperate to feel his warmth again.

He turned and smiled a wondrously warm-hearted smile and continued onwards with Yuya, hand-in-hand.

Yuya walked silently beside him, a contented but curious expression etched onto his face.

He glanced down and stared at their interlaced fingers, remembering just how he'd felt when their hands had brushed for the first time. He'd had similar feelings all night.

He remembered the heat in his chest, the fluttering of his heart, the tingling in his fingers…

Was this… _love_?


	2. For the World

Chapter 2: For the World

Tuning Magician or Timebreaker Magician…?

Yuya couldn't pick.

He sat in the centre of the small leather sofa, his cards strewn out on the coffee table in front of him.

It had been five days since the... 'incident' that had left Yuya shaken and Yuto with a bruised forehead.

Yuya had done just what Yuto had asked and tried to forget all about it, and it had worked to an extent, he'd barely thought about the attack since.

What had stuck with him from that night however, were the feelings he'd developed towards his best friend.

They were… confusing, to say the least.

It was as if their brush with death had awakened something within him, something he'd buried deep inside of him since Yuto had shown up in the Standard Dimension all those years ago.

That was only the half of it.

He could have sworn that when Yuto grabbed his hand for them to make their escape, he'd felt the other boy's empathy and concern flowing through the contact of his warm hand. The connection they shared was strong given how good friends they were, but how strong must their bond truly be for them to… feel each other's emotions? Yuya had been over it a thousand times, and came up empty each time, his emotions only pointing in one direction- and that was towards Yuto.

Even now he couldn't stop thinking about his feelings, about… _him_.

He looked up from his cards, his eyes looking for a better distraction to mask his uncertainty.

In front of him was an old electric fireplace, dusty and disused, a decadent reminder of the previous occupant's tastes in interior design. He'd never even considered cleaning it or fixing it, instead being quite content to use the electric heaters he'd brought over from Standard.

Above the stone brick work of the fireplace (which looked strangely out of place in a room with patterned white walls) was a long mantel supported by the outcrop in the wall. On it stood one of Yuya's most prized possessions, the Friendship Cup. It's silver, diamond studded frame was far too large to allow anything else to be placed up here, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He was proud of what he'd accomplished in the Synrcho Dimension, and this trophy was his reminder of how many lives his dueling had touched there.

To the right of the fireplace was another sofa, its brown leather obscured by the… most perfect sight he'd ever seen.

Lay across its length was Yuto, his head propped up by a few cushions as he attentively turned the pages of a book Yuya had never seen him read before (figures). The argent pearls of his eyes darted furiously between the words in front of him, his mouth permanently curled into a beautiful smile that had Yuya's chest fluttering.

He swallowed hard and continued to stare, entranced by Yuto's captivating look. Emotions began bubbling to the surface once again, a nervousness clenching his stomach as he realised that these were the same emotions he'd felt on that fateful evening five days ago.

He couldn't look away.

He suddenly wanted to feel Yuto's warmth again, to feel his tender devotion and his unyielding compassion, to feel protected and _loved._

It ran deeper than that though. This wasn't just a desire for safety and protection, it was raw attraction, a need for something more, something physical.

He was noticing different things about his friend now… things that friends definitely shouldn't be paying much attention to.

He noticed how perfectly his slim body was moulded to his shirt, the black fabric tight to his skin, accentuating the well-toned muscles that it housed.

Well, this pretty much confirmed it, he thought.

He had a serious crush on Yuto.

The boy in question suddenly looked up from his book and stared back, slightly bemused.

A rush of heat quickly flushed Yuya's face a scarlet red, the pendulum user looking away as fast as possible as not to catch Yuto's gaze.

Now looking in the opposite direction, he closed his eyes and tried to relax.

 _It's only Yuto, he's just a friend… just a friend… just a-_

Yuya's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the unmistakable voice of the boy across from him,

"Everything alright Yuya?"

Yuya stiffened.

"Errr y-yeah, yeah," he stuttered, praying to God that Yuto wouldn't notice how strangely nervous he was.

Yuya thought for a moment that would be the end of it, but Yuto quickly followed it up with another question,

"Do you maybe want some help with your deck? You've been sat there for like two hours…"

"Um sure sure," he replied hastily, being sure to keep his response as short as possible to avoid his words coming out a garbled mess.

Yuya heard Yuto put his book down and jump up, letting out a relieved breath as he did so.

This was ridiculous, he thought. Here he was, getting flustered and nervous at the sight of _Yuto._

They'd been friends for years and he'd never had trouble being around him or talking to him… and yet here he was acting as shy as a teenager around their first crush.

Yuya almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it.

Crush or not, they were still best friends and he wasn't going to let his feelings get in the way of that.

Yuto eased his way around the coffee table and sat down on the sofa… directly next to him.

Yuya's stomach filled with butterflies as Yuto leaned in to look through his cards, his light purple locks brushing gently against his face as he did so.

Yuya wanted to reach out and grab them, to feel how soft and silky his hair was, but he stopped himself.

It wasn't easy, but he came to the conclusion that his best friend might find it a bit weird if he randomly started playing with his hair.

Yuto leaned even further across to grab a card on the far end of the table, his pitch-black hair and invitingly bare neck now nearly in contact with his face.

Yuya almost fainted as Yuto's scent flooded his senses, overloading them with the sweet confection of his shampoo.

Hints of grapefruit and vanilla filled his nostrils, its saccharine essence so intoxicatingly fragrant that Yuya was left light-headed once Yuto moved back to his place beside him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yuto asked concernedly as he placed the card back on the table and rearranged a few others into piles. "You look kind of feverish."

Yuya's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't noticed how visibly hot he'd become, with his cheeks and lips now flushed a candy red.

He'd never been so embarrassed in his whole life. What could he possibly say now? It was obvious there was something going on, and it was only a matter of time before Yuto caught on.

"Y-Yeah I'm good don't worry, it's just a headache," he lied, trying his best to sound convincing.

Yuto was having none of it.

Having thought he might have gotten away with it, Yuya wasn't ready for what happened next.

Yuto, with an expression somewhere between concerned and amused (at his terrible lie), turned to face him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek.

The contact immediately sent flares of heat shooting up his neck, and he could feel his cheeks becoming hotter and hotter. Sparks were flying in his chest, his hands beginning to shake.

Yuya slowly turned to face Yuto, savouring every second of the warmth of his hand upon his cheek.

"You're burning up Yuya," he exclaimed, clearly distressed at his condition.

He moved his hand so it was pressed firmly onto his forehead, the heat of his touch almost causing Yuya's breath to hitch.

He could feel the power of Yuto's emotions coursing through him.

Through the palm of Yuto's hand and the tips of his fingers, they ebbed and flowed, streaming straight into Yuya's conscience.

This was the same phenomenon that he'd experienced on the night Yuto saved him he deduced, only this time he was fully aware of it.

He felt everything that Yuto was feeling, his concern, his worry… but something eluded him, almost like it was just beyond his reach.

It was a feeling that Yuya couldn't grasp, as if Yuto's conscience was holding it back.

 _Wait._

If he was feeling what Yuto felt, then Yuto must feel how-

Yuya quickly jolted backwards at the realisation that his secret feelings for his best friend might not be as secret as he thought they were.

Yuto swiftly retracted his hand as Yuya recoiled, his face a picture of surprise and uncharacteristically, embarrassment.

A silence descended upon the pair as they stared at the floor, both of them wondering what this connection they shared really was.

Yuya shuffled his feet uncomfortably as his thoughts drifted to the question of if Yuto could feel his desire for him.

He couldn't possibly… could he?

As far as Yuya was aware, Yuto didn't even know he was gay…

He just hoped that his emotions hadn't given him away. If he was ever going to pursue his feelings for Yuto, he wanted to do it his way and not rush into things.

Yuto rose to his feet, leaving Yuya sat awkwardly staring at the wall.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," Yuto said almost ashamedly. "I just don't want you getting sick."

Yuya felt a pang of guilt. This was his fault.

 _He_ was the one who harboured feelings for his best friend. _He_ was the one who wasn't ready or willing to talk to him about it. _He_ was the one that was going to ruin their friendship because he couldn't control his emotions…

"Yuto don't be sorry… It's okay, I'm okay." Yuya rose to his feet too and looked him in the eye.

He wanted to tell him everything right there and then, how much he really liked him, the way he made him feel, the weird connection between them when they touch… but he couldn't.

Now wasn't the time.

He couldn't risk ruining their friendship by admitting his feelings all at once. He had to try and ease their close friendship into a relationship where Yuto wouldn't feel pressured into being with him just because they were best friends.

Yuya offered Yuto a weak smile.

This seemed to calm the Xyz user, who smiled back before looking down at the cards on the table. He let out a slight chuckle and pointed at the tiny pile that was to be Yuya's main deck. "You've still gotten nowhere."

Yuya had totally forgot!

"Oh shit yeah I need to get this done I have my big duel tomorrow," he panicked, sitting back down to sift through the mounds of cards.

As he quickly gathered them up, a thought sprang into his mind.

 _This duel could be the perfect opportunity to show how much he truly cared about Yuto_.

He glanced up at Yuto who was still stood above him, watching on as he constructed his deck.

 _If he could put on a show that had all of Yuto's favourite monsters in, then maybe he'd get the message and start to understand how he felt towards him?_

It was a long shot, but it would be a good start for trying to cultivate a relationship with him. Plus, it was a super cute idea (he thought so anyway).

"Hey I know you're really busy tomorrow with your essays and everything, but I'll be action dueling Kaito at the old Spade Branch building to celebrate its reopening, do you think maybe you'll be able to come?" Yuya's voice was filled with expectancy and hope.

Yuto beamed back at him. "Of course I will! I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Yuya felt a tear of happiness prick at the corner of his eye which nearly became a deluge as Yuto clicked open his deck box and placed his Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon on the table.

"And neither would he…" he grinned, pointing at the card. "Just be sure to have fun out there and put on a show, it's what you do best."

Yuya choked back the lump in his throat as he picked up the card, its powerful dark aura pulsing so wildly in his hand he had to place it back down again.

This was amazing! With this card he could put on the perfect show for Yuto!

Yuto edged out from behind the coffee table and headed in the direction of his room with Yuya staring after him.

This was going to take some planning, he thought as he turned to look for Dark Rebellion, who he had unknowingly placed face down on top of his own Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, as if they were-

He groaned and shook his head in realisation at what he'd done, his face flushing a blazing red once again.


	3. Wounds of a Friend

Chapter 3: Wounds of a Friend

'I wouldn't miss it for the world.'

These words, Yuto's words, were all Yuya could think about as he stood, his arms resignedly hanging by his sides, staring down Kaito's Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon.

They were burned into his mind, forcefully branded into both his conscious and subconscious. Yuto's sweet voice echoed constantly through his head, his soft dulcet tones only causing Yuya to feel every bruise and every cut he'd sustained throughout this duel all over again.

He couldn't think straight.

"Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Kaito yelled. "Finish this duel with Cipher Stream of Destruction!"

This was it.

Yuya glanced at the small sea of faces that surrounded the field.

They all looked so blissfully happy, enraptured by the entertainment provided by their duel.

…But Yuya didn't care.

There was only one person he'd really come to entertain…

…and he wasn't here.

Yuto's words, Yuya realised, were as empty as the seat he'd reserved for him.

Humiliation and anger were all he felt as Kaito's attack suddenly hit him full force, the power of his Galaxy Eyes so great that it knocked him from his feet and sent him hurtling through the air.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as his body was thrown violently backwards.

Above him he could see the sky with its dark foreboding clouds, the sun nowhere to be found despite it being mid-afternoon.

Half finished buildings towered around him, his field of vision encompassed almost entirely by the tips of these newly repaired structures.

Yuya wondered how long it would take for him to forgive Yuto for this… or get over him all together…

The back of his head soon hit the floor with a sickening thud, with the rest of his body following suit a split second later.

He finally came to rest at the other end of the duel field, his head and neck pulsing with the pain of hitting the ground so hard.

Propping himself up against the railing behind him, he glanced at his life point counter before looking away uncaringly, the zeroes it displayed making him feel nothing.

It had been a very short duel, with Yuya not putting up much of a fight.

He had planned an amazing show just for Yuto, all culminating in him winning with their two dragons coming together to form Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon.

Once it had set in that Yuto wasn't there, he'd abandoned that pretty quickly.

Kaito ran over and helped Yuya to his feet, the crowd still applauding despite the (very) short duel now being over.

Yuya had a bitter taste in his mouth as he spoke as graciously as he could to Kaito, congratulating him on his victory. He couldn't tell if it was blood or disappointment in his mouth, either way he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Were you alright out there? You didn't really seem yourself," Kaito asked concernedly as he shook his hand.

"Just haven't been feeling too well recently," he (sort of) lied.

Kaito gave him a suspicious but accepting look as he nodded and walked over to the crowd to thank them for coming.

The duel had been part of an informal ceremony to commemorate the reopening of the Spade Branch School, so only a few hardcore duelists and new students had shown up (it didn't help that it was on a Sunday either).

Yuya really didn't feel like being here.

He felt sick to his stomach with disappointment and he now had a headache (hopefully not another concussion).

Walking quickly past Kaito and the rest of the crowd, he waved tamely and shot off around the corner of the closet building, desperate to be alone.

Normally he'd thank every person in the crowd individually, and maybe even do some tricks or gags as an encore to his performance. He certainly didn't feel like doing that today. He had to get home.

He hurriedly got his bearings, then set off in the direction of his flat.

Thankfully he didn't live too far from the Spade Branch, only a few minutes on foot.

As Yuya turned at the first street corner, the black clouds looming over the city let loose a sudden deluge of rain, of almost monsoon-like proportions.

This caught him off guard, causing his slow amble to quickly change into a full-on sprint.

He slipped his goggles over his eyes, something he should have done long ago.

Behind these goggles he felt safe, like the world couldn't get to him.

They protected him…

…just like Yuto had promised to do…

He quickly shook his head as tears began to sting the corners of his eyes.

Why did he have to stand him up like that? What had he said that had caused him to not bother showing up to his big performance?

Yuya came to the final corner before his street and stopped to take a breath.

His body ached, not just from the light injuries he'd sustained during the duel, but from the crushing disappointment of having been stood up by the boy he liked so much.

A clap of thunder overhead caused Yuya to jump slightly as he stood, staring off into the rain.

The torrent of water falling from the sky above was causing a haze to develop around him, obscuring his vision significantly.

Today had been a total washout, he thought, half trying to cheer himself up with a bad attempt at irony.

Again turning homewards, he was about to set off sprinting again but stopped abruptly after spotting something in the road ahead.

The haze created by the weather made it impossible to make out, but it appeared to be stationary whatever it was.

Yuya hesitantly inched closer, remembering what happened last time he came face to face with someone he couldn't see.

Yuya again stopped as he got close enough to realise that the unidentified object was indeed a person.

Slipping his goggles back onto his forehead, they quickly came into sharper focus.

They were lying face down in the road, motionless.

A torn black shirt, ripped up jeans…

…black and purple hair…

 _Holy shit it was Yuto._

Yuya's heart skipped a beat as he came to the horrific realisation that the body in the road was Yuto's.

"YUTO NO!" he screamed, running over to his best friend's side and kneeling in the road beside him.

This was bad. Very bad.

A pool of rainwater had formed around him, its colour tinged a dark shade of red as blood seeped out from the wounds that covered Yuto's body.

"Y-Y-Yuto please," he cried, shaking his shoulders in the hope of eliciting some kind of response.

He remained perfectly still.

"For God's sake please don't die Yuto," he pleaded, his desperation causing him to pull Yuto over by his shoulder so that he was now lying on his back.

Yuya gasped at the extent of his injuries.

His jeans were torn at the knees and ankles through contact with the concrete of the road, his shirt had been nearly completely cut away, his chest and abdomen covered in large cuts and gashes.

Yuya was crying so heavily he could barely make out Yuto's face.

His normally harsh but delicate features were bruised and beaten, blood trickling down his chin from the blows he'd taken to the nose and mouth.

Yuya grabbed at Yuto's collar and leaned in to place his forehead upon his chest, all the while sobbing as loudly as he'd ever done.

"Y-Yuto please," he sobbed helplessly. "Wake up… I need you..."

A slight groan suddenly escaped from the boy underneath him, along with a painful inhalation as he gasped for breath.

"YUTO!" Yuya screamed happily, gripping the remains of his shirt even tighter.

Yuto groaned again, still struggling for breath.

Yuya tried propping him up, almost cradling him by placing an arm around his back and having him lean back against it.

Yuto's head lolled back as Yuya tried to keep him steady.

"I-I…need… th-the duel field," Yuto mumbled clearly disorientated, his eyes still firmly shut. "The duel… I… have to get to Yuya's duel…"

Yuya felt a pang of guilt, shame quickly pooling in his stomach.

If only he'd trusted him…

 _I wouldn't miss it for the world_.

The words flashed across Yuya's mind once more, along with the feeling of disappointment he'd felt when he realised Yuto hadn't shown up to the duel. This time he wasn't disappointed in his friend however (how could he be now?), he was disappointed in himself.

With his head still reclined backwards and Yuya's arm supporting him by the back of his neck, Yuto let out another groan, this time more audibly.

His eyes fluttered open before abruptly shutting again, knocking Yuya from his state of self-reproach.

Joy and relief came surging back as Yuto's eyes opened once more, his lids flickering as he tried to focus.

"Y-Yuya," he whispered, his mouth curving into a weak smile that made Yuya's bottom lip quiver, a fresh set of tears soon streaming down his face.

"Did you… did you win?" he breathed, straining hard to look up at Yuya's teary, smiling face.

Yuya couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's tenacity and dedication, his sobs quickly turning to laughter, his signature smile widening.

 _Yuto really was quite something._

Yuya's expression became more serious however once he looked down to see his own clothes covered in blood.

Yuto was still bleeding from the cuts to his body, especially from a particularly large gash that arced its way down from the top of his abdomen all the way to the beltline of his jeans.

"We need to get you back home right now," he announced, bravery and courage taking over his whole body. "I don't know what happened, but there'll be plenty of time to explain later… for now let's just pray to God I can fix those wounds for you."

Yuto nodded slightly in response.

"Do you think you can stand?" Yuya asked hopefully.

Again, a small nod was all he got.

In the still beating rain, it was difficult to tell whether Yuto actually did respond, but the mix of blood, water and soaking clothing was enough for Yuya to try and move him anyway.

He gently grabbed Yuto's left arm and put it around the back of his neck, and then placed his own arm around the back of Yuto's.

He readied himself to pull him up.

"On three," he counted. "One, two, three."

He hoisted Yuto up onto his feet with a degree of difficulty, but he managed it nonetheless.

Yuto screamed in pain as his wounds stretched with the movement, opening them up further allowing more blood to ooze out.

"Sorry, sorry," Yuya tried to apologise, his worry growing as they took a step forward and Yuto let out another yelp.

They had to go on though.

If Yuto didn't get those wounds patched up soon… well, it didn't bear thinking about.

Yuya pressed on, steely eyed, a determined look now etched onto his face as the rain tried to wash his courage away.

He wasn't about to let that happen.

He'd stopped crying, and stopped caring about everything else.

The duel, his performance, his fears and worries… they didn't matter.

All that mattered now was _Yuto_.

Making sure he was safe was his one and only priority.

And so he walked with purpose, but not without consideration for his friend, stopping every few steps to make sure he was alright and okay to continue onwards.

As they slowly hobbled towards their apartment block, the storm they were caught in was intensifying, with forks of lightening illuminating the sky above them.

Wiping the rain and his soaking hair from his eyes, Yuya spotted their apartment block just ahead and remembered how less than a week ago they were in a very similar situation (but this time, it was much more serious).

After what felt like miles but was likely only metres, they made it through the gate and into the stairwell, with Yuto grunting in pain with each step.

Thankfully, the stairs wouldn't be too much of a problem given that they lived on the second floor.

Taking it as slowly as possible, a step at a time, they climbed the stairs to their floor.

By the time they had reached their destination, Yuto was doubled over and groaning.

Yuya needed to act, now.

"Stay with me Yuto," he demanded, fumbling with his key as he tried to open the door. "We're here now."

He glanced over at Yuto who looked as if he was going to keel over at any second.

In the light of the hallway he was as white as a sheet, his skin a ghostly pale at the loss of blood he'd suffered.

He murmured something and staggered forward, swaying slightly.

"I've got you," Yuya assured him, as he collapsed forwards, right into Yuya's arms.

Thankfully he'd managed to unlock the door before he'd toppled into him, so he turned Yuto around and pushed at the door with his back, apologising as he went.

Stumbling forwards into the living room, he sought a place to set Yuto down.

He quickly decided that the larger of the two sofas would have to do as a temporary hospital bed, as it was the only thing in there large enough to allow him to be fully laid out (there was no way he could carry him to either of their bedrooms).

Placing him down gently, he lightly pushed his legs into the corner of the sofa so the rest of his body would fall backwards onto the soft material, with Yuya holding onto his shoulder to prevent him hitting his head too hard.

Standing back and rolling up his sleeves, he took a moment to compose himself.

He stared at the lacerations and cuts that adorned Yuto's chest.

He should be scared, given how badly Yuto was hurt and how his injuries looked consistent with knife wounds, but he strangely wasn't.

Making sure he was safe had overridden all of his other fears and anxieties. He couldn't live without Yuto, he realised, as his mind wondered back to the duel and how he'd felt after it.

He… _loved_ him too much.

A lone tear dripped down Yuya's cheek as Yuto turned his head to face him, his eyes firmly shut and his face still bloodied and bruised.

What could possibly have happened to him?


	4. Hold Me Close

Chapter 4: Hold Me Close

"You need to be strong for me, okay Yuto?" Yuya shouted from across the room as he pulled a first aid kit out from behind the smaller of the two sofas.

Yuto groaned in response.

Yuya brought the kit over and swung its lid open, swathes of bandages soon being emptied onto the floor along with a variety of medical instruments that Yuya hadn't seen in a long time.

"I said you need to be strong, you hear me Yuto?" Yuya repeated, kneeling beside him.

"Y-Yeah okay," he mumbled through partly sealed lips.

He wasn't really the one that needed to be strong, Yuya thought, _he_ was.

Running on pure adrenaline, he hadn't even spared a thought to the possibility that if he hadn't have found Yuto when he did, he might not have-

Yuya shook the thought from his head.

It didn't bear thinking about.

He couldn't start letting his fears get the better of him now, not when so much was at stake.

"Alright then," he acknowledged. "We'll start with your face."

Yuya leaned over to get a closer look at Yuto's face.

He grimaced at the extent of the bruising, it looked incredibly painful.

There was little he could do about it though, it would have to heal on its own.

The blood splattered around his chin and mouth was a different story however, that could be easily cleaned away.

His nose (and to an extent his busted lip) was the source of all that crimson, but from the looks of it, it had stopped bleeding and it wasn't broken, so Yuya paid it little mind as he had more major injuries to be worrying about.

Yuto noticed Yuya's somewhat shocked expression through his half-lidded eyes and offered a weak smile. "I look that bad do I?" he half-laughed, his expression quickly becoming pained again.

"No you're beau-"

Yuya had to be careful what he said given the stress of the situation, after all his feelings for Yuto were stronger than ever at the moment given the prospect of potentially losing him.

"You look good," he corrected himself. "…You could maybe do with something to cover up those bruises though, but other than that…"

Yuto laughed again, despite his pain, as Yuya ran into the kitchen to fill a bowl full of water to help with the cleaning of wounds.

Having filled it to the brim, he steadily made his way back to Yuto's side, making sure not to spill it on the carpet (it would just be another thing to clean up afterwards).

He set it down and soaked an old cloth in the water before draining it.

As gently as he could, he leaned over and wiped as much of the blood as possible from Yuto's face. He needed to be quick about it as he still had more serious injuries to treat but he took his time, almost caressing his cheeks with the cloth as he went, paying particular attention to his jawline as he traced its contours with the soft fabric.

Yuto looked to be almost enjoying it, his smile had returned and some of the colour had restored to his face. This gave Yuya a familiar warm feeling deep inside of his chest. Just knowing that he was making Yuto happy was enough to make him happy, even if it was just for a moment.

He secretly wanted to know just what Yuto was feeling, if it was really his touch that was making him smile.

Yuya had an idea.

He placed the cloth back into the bowl and rinsed it before bringing it back up to Yuto's forehead.

After some gentle scrubbing he let it stay there and instead placed his hand upon Yuto's soaking bangs.

He didn't know if it was the courage or his curiosity that allowed him to do it (or his eagerness to just touch Yuto with his hands), but he began to stroke his hair.

An even bigger grin erupted onto Yuto's face, and although it looked as if he was trying his best to suppress it, he simply couldn't.

Yuya's smile mirrored his own, although Yuto wasn't to know it as his eyes were still firmly shut.

He had to know what he was feeling.

He looked so… happy.

As inconspicuously as possible, Yuya let his left-hand drift from the side of the sofa and creep across Yuto's grazed knuckles.

His eyes fluttered shut and he concentrated as hard as he could on the sensation of Yuto's hand under his.

He could feel it.

Underneath all of his pain and suffering, Yuya could feel it.

Bliss. Satisfaction. Happiness.

His concentration broke as he felt Yuto spread his fingers and lay his hand flat.

His eyes shot open and he saw Yuto staring back at him, smile still spread across his face.

Yuya coughed in embarrassment and quickly looked away, his cheeks burning with the heat of knowing Yuto had caught him basically holding his hand and stroking his hair with his eyes closed (he only wanted to see what he was feeling!).

He needed to say something or else this could get awkward, he thought, pulling his hand from Yuto's soaking bangs.

"So-so err Yuto," he spluttered. "What happened to you?"

Yuya realised how blunt and untimely this question was but he really couldn't think of anything else to say (and he was incredibly curious to know).

Yuto fidgeted uncomfortably before reaching onto the floor for a discarded cushion to prop himself up with.

He was soon half-sat and half-lying across the sofa, either as a sign he was open to talking about his ordeal or he was giving Yuya better access to his chest wounds.

Yuya assumed the latter and began to inspect them. They were definitely knife wounds, but thankfully they weren't of the stabbing variety. They were more like slashes, and although some appeared quite shallow, others looked to be much deeper.

"It was him, Yuya," Yuto started, staring off to the side. "The man from the other night."

Yuya swallowed hard as he remembered the events of that night.

His mocking tone, the glinting knife, the crack of heads colliding…

"He must have found out where we lived because he confronted me as I was leaving for the duel…" he looked down at Yuya who was applying dressings to the smaller cuts. "…There was something different about him though."

"Different?" Yuya questioned, his hands shaking as he cut a compress down to size.

"It's weird, he seemed obsessed with making sure I didn't know who he was, to the point where after I ripped his jacket while we were fighting he bolted, like he had something to hide."

"Wait, so how come you ended up getting so cut up?" Yuya asked, staring up at him from beside the sofa. "You dealt with him before, what went wrong this time?"

Yuto blinked and looked off the side again, as if he was trying to avoid Yuya's gaze. His expression had completely changed, his smile long gone, replaced with a frown that was neither sad nor contemplative.

Was that anger he could see on his face?

Yuto said nothing.

"Yuto?"

He continued to stare at the wall, Yuya's expectant gaze seemingly having no effect on him.

After a few moments of silence however, Yuto spoke. "He… He said some things…"

"What kind of things?" Yuya questioned, his hands now gripping at the sofa in anticipation rather than tending to Yuto's wounds.

"Hurtful things…" Yuto looked back at Yuya, his eyes filled with sadness. "I normally wouldn't let anything get to me, but these… these were about you."

 _Yuto did this for him._

 _He fought for him and he wasn't even there._

"Wha-What did he say?" Yuya's voice broke a little as he choked back tears.

"He called you…" Yuto's voice was uncharacteristically quiet as he hesitated.

"He called you… a homo coward who was too scared to run."

Yuto clenched his fists in anger. "I couldn't let him fucking get away that, I just couldn't. It really got to me and I lost my composure."

"He's right you know…" Yuya was staring at the ground, tears now dripping onto the carpet.

"Wait, about what? It isn't remotely true." Yuto strained to bring his legs around so that he was now sat perched on the edge of the sofa. He was struggling to stay upright because of his chest, but regardless he leaned over and placed a reassuring hand on Yuya's shoulder.

He didn't even look up.

"I'm exactly what he said I was."

Yuto cut him off. "Yuya I told you everyone reacts differently in these situations, it was completely natural to not run right away and-"

"No… the other thing."

"You mean… you're gay?"

Yuya only nodded in confirmation, his gaze firmly set on the floor.

Silence enveloped the room.

Yuya didn't care anymore.

He didn't know if it was the fact that he was so emotional right now or that he somehow felt guilty that the insults about his sexuality had potentially caused Yuto to get hurt, but he just wanted to get it out.

To tell someone.

To tell _Yuto_.

"Yuya look at me."

He looked up and caught Yuto's eyes.

They were filled with pride and assurance.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay." Yuto spoke with passion. "You can be whatever you want to be, it doesn't matter what other people think or say, you're you… and nothing should ever change that"

Yuya couldn't help but smile through his tears.

Hearing the man's words had hurt, but hearing Yuto's words, hearing his acceptance of who he was… it put a smile on his face that nothing else could.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner… I'm not sure what came over me, I know this isn't exactly the best time…"

"You tell people when you're ready," Yuto replied. "Believe me, I know… it's not easy when you've got ignorant assholes like that guy turning it into an insult, but being gay is not a thing to be ashamed of. Everyone should be free to be who they are, that's why I got so mad when he started with the homophobic insults."

"Thank you Yuto… for everything." Yuya placed a hand atop of Yuto's, a mixture of compassion, pride and gratitude filtering through their fingers.

Yuto suddenly retracted his hand and doubled over in pain, agonised groans filling the room.

Yuya blinked away his tears and jumped up to help him.

"Lay back," Yuya ordered, his courage and concern taking over.

Yuto did so, leaning as far back into the sofa as possible.

The biggest of Yuto's wounds (that Yuya was about to tend to till he'd gotten distracted) looked to have started to bleed once again, presumably because of the strain he'd put on it when he'd sat up.

Yuya stared at it, a little confused but also somewhat embarrassed at the problems he was going to have treating it, due to its location.

The gash extended all the way down from the top of his abs, past his navel and cutting well into the beltline of his jeans.

To treat it, or at least bandage it up, he was going to need better access, and that meant…

"Yuto I…" Yuya wasn't really sure how to put this. "I-I'm going to need to take your pants off."

A hint of a smile passed Yuto's lips before he was soon back to grimacing in pain. "Um okay?"

"It's so I can get to this big cut near your abs- I-I mean abdomen," he quickly added, his face flaring with heat.

Yuto nodded in acknowledgement.

This was going to be embarrassing, Yuya thought, especially after what he'd just admitted to him.

He positioned himself in front of Yuto who was still sat leaning into the sofa, his legs slightly spread.

Yuya shakily placed his hands at Yuto's side and then hooked his fingers into the holes of his beltline.

As gently as possible, he tried to ease them down a bit.

Nothing.

He tugged harder.

But still nothing.

He tried pulling on them as hard as he could but to no avail, all he succeeded in doing was nearly yanking Yuto right off the sofa.

"Erm this… this isn't working."

Yuya was red with embarrassment, and Yuto must have noticed because he also tried in vain to pull them down.

"They're too wet," Yuto observed, leaning back again. "You'll have to cut them off of me."

He was right.

His jeans were absolutely soaking and completely stuck to Yuto's lower half. The only way to get them off and properly patch him up would be to cut them off.

Well this was going to be awkward, Yuya thought to himself.

He had just come out to his gay best friend and now he was about to cut his pants off.

 _Brilliant._

Yuya bent down and took the scissors from the first aid box.

Hesitantly, he placed a hand under Yuto's leg to signal to him to straighten it out.

Once it was straight he slid one half of the blades up the soaking material and began to cut.

It was surprisingly difficult but once he found a rhythm he found it to be much easier.

Having reached his knee, the material fell away as much of the fabric around this area had been worn away during Yuto's altercation.

He was about to start up again but heard Yuto whisper, "Please be careful."

"I-I will," Yuya gulped unconvincingly.

Sliding the scissors back into the material he started to cut again, his hands shaking as he realised he was going to get an eyeful of Yuto's crotch when he got to a certain point.

It wasn't that he didn't want to see Yuto in his boxers (he couldn't think of anything better to be honest), it was just under the circumstances Yuto might not really appreciate him ogling his body.

Inch by inch, Yuya made his way up the top of Yuto's leg.

Once he had reached the very top, the scissors began to falter as they hit another layer of fabric.

Yuya swallowed hard.

Re-adjusting the blades so they weren't cutting up Yuto's boxers, he continued on.

It became tougher and tougher as the material became firmer, forcing Yuya to grip the leather of the sofa to keep him stable. Yuto helped too by angling himself so that he could have better access with the scissors (half sitting and half lying isn't the best position to remove jeans).

Finally he had reached the beltline.

With one last snip, the left half of Yuto's jeans were detached. The fabric was still stuck to his skin though, so Yuya began peeling it away, starting from his ankle.

Once he'd arrived back at Yuto's thigh however, he again hesitated.

He wanted nothing more than to see under the fabric, but what if it was too much?

He'd felt nearly every emotion today, and he didn't want to add arousal to that list.

He'd have to just be strong.

Yuto was counting on him to tend to this wound, and he couldn't do that if there was any material in the way.

Yuya took a deep breath and began to peel away the black fabric at the top of his thigh.

As he moved aside the material closest to his crotch, Yuya started to sweat nervously.

Black denim suddenly gave way to a new material.

It was a standard white with… cartoon dragons printed on it!?

Yuya nearly burst out laughing.

Yuto, a sexy, rebellious secret badass with the most stoic and fierce of demeanours, wore boxers with cartoon dragons on them.

Yuya looked up to see Yuto covering his face in embarrassment, trying to hide his rather obvious blush.

"Just ignore them please," Yuto deadpanned, much to Yuya's amusement.

"But you have such style," he replied sarcastically, peeling away the last of the material on Yuto's left side.

Yuto could only shake his head in response.

With the jeans out of the way, Yuya could now focus on Yuto's wound in its entirety.

Thankfully for Yuya (and to his disappointment), he'd only cut enough of them to access the gash which extended down the left side of Yuto's abdomen, so he'd narrowly avoided having to come face-to-face with what lay beneath his dragon boxers (seriously?). He'd have to leave that up to his imagination for now…

Grabbing the blood-stained cloth once again, Yuya inspected the wound.

It was large, unsightly, and would probably leave a scar, but it didn't look as serious as he'd first thought. The panic he had been in at the start of this ordeal had made it seem worse than it really was.

He squeezed some water over it and began to clean it, paying particular attention to the spots where blood still seemed to be seeping out. The whole thing would need a compress, he thought.

Grabbing the largest dressing he could find in the first aid box, he pressed it down hard across the length of the cut, eliciting another pained grunt from Yuto.

"Hold this down as hard as you can," Yuya ordered, bending back down to unfurl a roll of bandages.

Yuto obliged and took over, keeping it held down while Yuya cut the right length of bandage for his waist.

"You're going to have to sit up, can you do that for me?"

Yuto again didn't say anything but smiled and sat up taxingly, perhaps still a little embarrassed at his choice in underwear.

Yuya leaned in to begin wrapping the bandage around his waist, placing the start of it upon the compress that Yuto had been holding in place.

Yuto's face was touching Yuya's chest, his messy purple bangs brushing Yuya's chin.

Just as he was about to begin winding it around, something unexpected happened (which is quite something considering what he'd been through today).

Yuto hugged him.

He swung his arms around Yuya's neck so he was basically hanging off of him, nearly knocking him off balance.

Yuya just stood there, leaning into him with his hand pressed on the bandage. He really wanted to hug him back, but all he could manage was to place an arm around the back of Yuto's neck.

"Thanks Yuya…" he hummed, his voice warm and thankful. "This means a lot to me"

"Don't mention it… and besides you're always there for me, so I suppose it is my turn to be here for you," Yuya half-joked, stroking the black portion of his hair as he did.

Yuto made an adorable satisfied noise that reminded Yuya of a cat and then released him from their awkward embrace so that he could finish patching him up.

"Just a little more," Yuya said, as he wrapped the bandage around Yuto's waist before looping around to start the process again.

After a few minutes, the entirety of Yuto's abdomen was wrapped in a tight bandage, and although his knees and elbows looked badly bruised too, he was more or less fixed up.

"That about does it," Yuya smiled, standing back to admire his handiwork.

"I feel like a mummy," Yuto laughed, looking down at his chest.

Yuya chuckled and sat down beside him.

"You just need to rest now," he remarked. "So we're getting you to bed, Doctor's orders"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Yuto tried to stand up but was instantly hit by an explosion of pain in his abdomen which caused him to sit back down immediately.

"Maybe bending over isn't such a good idea," he observed. "You're gonna' have to help me"

Slinging an arm around Yuto's shoulders, he helped him to his feet.

Yuto doubled over again but was able to use him as a support, so he managed to stay on his feet.

Leaving the bloodied clothes and stained leather behind them, they left the living room.

"Nearly there," Yuya coaxed, leading him to his bedroom.

Once they'd made the short walk (or limp in Yuto's case) to his room, Yuya opened the door and led Yuto inside.

He gently sat him down on the edge of his king size bed (Yuya was still jealous he got stuck with a smaller three-quarter size).

A moment of silence passed before Yuto looked up at Yuya and spoke. "Umm, at the risk of embarrassing myself even more, I'm going to need help getting undressed."

Yuya looked down at the state of Yuto's jeans, one leg cut away completely and the other still stuck to his skin.

The remains of his shirt were still clinging on to his shoulders too, the only fabric left being some of the sleeves and a little of the collar.

"Yeah no problem."

Yuya played it off like it was nothing, but he was becoming nervous again. After all, undressing him meant getting rid of nearly all of his clothes…

Yuto tentatively lifted his arms to signal that he needed help with the remnants of his shirt.

After a bit of awkward manoeuvring, Yuya managed to free him of the last patches of fabric that had clung to his shoulders.

Now for the hard part…

"You don't have to do this if it'll make you uncomfortable," Yuto said, a slight blush softening his bruised features.

"No no… I want to…" Yuya scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "You can't get in bed with half a pair of soaking wet jeans on."

Yuto smiled, amused by his situation.

Yuya bent down so he had access to Yuto's lower half.

He quickly did away with Yuto's shoes, untying them and then tossing them aside.

"I don't think you'll need the scissors," Yuto observed. "They've dried a little and it should be easier with only half."

Yuya nodded and kept his head down, as not to reveal the colour seeping into his cheeks.

Placing his shaking hands on the beltline of what remained of Yuto's jeans, he readied himself mentally. After all, it wasn't every day you saw your best friend and crush half-naked…

Yuto lay back to make it easier.

Yuya began to slowly pull away the denim that was trying its best to cling on, taking care not to remove Yuto's boxers as he went.

He kept his gaze firmly on the wall at the far end of the room, not wishing to get the eyeful that he secretly desired.

Yuto must have noticed because as soon as he was free of his pants, he spoke. "You can look you know Yuya, we shared a body remember and we're best friends, I really don't mind."

Yuya gulped and stood up straight. He glanced down to see Yuto still lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Yuya was now doing some staring of his own, but his gaze lay firmly on the front of Yuto's boxers.

They might have been absolutely ridiculous looking, but it was what was underneath them that caught Yuya's imagination.

After a few moments of staring and imagining, Yuto looked towards him.

He grinned cheekily before sitting back up and pulling back the duvet, leaving Yuya still standing there, his face now as red as his hair.

"Well I better get some rest," Yuto motioned, half-crawling and half-wriggling in amongst the sheets.

"Y-Yeah sure, sure," Yuya agreed, snapping out of his trance, as Yuto achingly turned over to face the wall.

Yuya still stood by the bed, his mind racing.

He didn't want to leave.

If he'd found out anything from today it was that he never wanted to let Yuto go, not ever.

He had been so close to losing him for good, and just knowing that such a possibility existed made him want to curl up into a ball and cry.

He wanted, no _needed_ , to keep Yuto close.

He needed to hold him, to keep him safe like he kept Yuya safe, to always be by his side…

Yuya couldn't just leave him now, not after what he'd just been through, even if he did seem like he felt better. His emotion, his _love_ , for him wouldn't allow it.

Yuya started to take off his shoes, quickly untying them and tossing them aside like he had done with Yuto's earlier.

He pulled his jacket and then his blood-soaked shirt over his head and threw them into a pile on the floor.

He didn't know what was happening now, his body was moving on instinct, his actions like clockwork.

He unbuttoned his pants and stepped out of each leg, throwing them on the pile of clothes at his feet (thank God he wasn't wearing jeans).

Yuya was now as bare-skinned as Yuto, his underwear (a standard black, no dragons), wristbands and choker the only things keeping him from being completely naked.

He placed his pendulum on the pile and then stepped towards the bed.

Yuto must have heard because he spoke up. "Yuya clean up later it's fi-"

His breath hitched as he felt the warmth of Yuya's chest against his back, completely taking him by surprise.

Yuya carefully put an arm over his chest and slid another under his neck, pulling him into a gentle hug from behind.

Yuya half expected Yuto to turn around and ask him what the fuck he was doing, but he didn't. Instead, he snuggled closer, bending his knees and pushing slightly back so that his ass was pressed against his crotch.

Yuya should be aroused, especially considering what was happening, but he wasn't.

The emotion, the hurt, the love… it made it so that all he wanted was to be close to Yuto, to hold him in a silent embrace, to let his affection do the talking.

The feeling was surreal and the warmth captivating, making him wish that he could have this every night.

Contentment and appreciation flowed freely between them, diffusing through Yuto's back and percolating in Yuya's heart.

A sudden jolt of sadness brought Yuya back to his senses, as Yuto gripped one of his hands tightly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be at the duel today… if only I'd kept my cool, I wouldn't have gotten as hurt and I'd have made it in time… Instead I ended up passing out in the road, and missing your big day."

The spike of sorrow he felt across their bond sent a tear straight to Yuya's eye.

He held Yuto tighter.

"Don't be sorry," he whispered. "It wasn't your fault… all that matters is that you're alive and safe… and besides, you were out there fighting for us, for _me_ … so thank you."

Yuya kissed the back of Yuto's neck in appreciation, sending a welcome shiver down his spine.

After a little while, Yuya began to feel sleepy despite it only being early in the evening.

Yuto must have been too because an audible yawn escaped his lips soon after, causing Yuya to let one slip too.

"Goodnight Yuto," he yawned, snuggling somehow even closer and burying his face into Yuto's black hair.

"Goodnight Yuya," Yuto hummed.

A few minutes passed before Yuto broke the silence again, his voice even more hushed. "Please don't tell anyone about my boxers, I'll never hear the end of it if Yuri finds out."

Yuya just laughed and squeezed his hand in reassurance.

He didn't know what this was, or what was going to happen after tonight, but one thing was for sure…

Yuya was never letting go of Yuto.


	5. Sweet and Smooth

Chapter 5: Sweet and Smooth

It had been almost a week since Yuya had found Yuto lying in the middle of the street in a pool of his own blood.

Well, six days to be exact.

It was a Saturday evening, and Yuya was sat in the living room on the crimson stained leather of the sofa, recalling what had unfolded that day.

He'd lost his exhibition match to Kaito, found his best friend and crush dying in the road, taken said friend and crush's clothes off, come out to him, and slept half-naked in the same bed as him.

It had been quite the day, and that was without mentioning Yuto's unexpected choice in underwear.

A small smile crept onto Yuya's lips as he remembered the cartoon style dragons printed on Yuto's boxers.

His smile grew wider as he recalled how he had felt when he'd climbed into bed with him.

The glowing warmth of his skin, the tender touch of his hands… the searing heat of his ass pressed against his-

Yuya felt his cheeks burn as he quickly shook the thoughts from his head.

That night was a one-off he told himself, leaning back and crossing his legs.

Since that evening, they hadn't slept together again, or even mentioned it for that matter.

Yuto was healing well and had spent his time studying, as if nothing had happened. Yuya had gone along with it, talking and dueling with him like they hadn't spent the night together, curled up in each other's arms.

He had barely mentioned his injuries too, and would only do so if Yuya asked him specifically.

There had been no further news on his assailant either, although he had little hope of the Heartland police force ever catching the guy. They were only just starting to rebuild, with the police station having been destroyed during the war. Coupled with the fact they were now mostly a group of undertrained volunteers who focused almost exclusively on security in the remaining refugee camps, there was little to no chance of justice.

The sound of the front door opening took Yuya away from his thoughts and he span around, half-expecting Yuto's attacker to be standing there in the doorway, clenching his shiny blade.

Thankfully it was just Yuto, who, for the first time in six days, looked as if he hadn't just gone ten rounds with a champion boxer. The bruising on his face had all but gone now, and he no longer walked clenching his stomach.

"Hey Yuya," he said as he strolled past him towards the kitchen carrying something. "You look pleased to see me."

Yuya's cheeks flared again as he realised he was still grinning after thinking of them cuddling together.

"I'm just happy to see you looking so good… I mean well- I'm glad to see you're looking so well, you know, considering what happened," he recovered, turning his head in time to see Yuto disappear into the kitchen.

He heard a laugh and then some clanging around, as if he was searching through the cupboards for something.

Once the banging around had stopped Yuto shouted to him, "You got any plans for tonight?"

"No, nothing!" he yelled back, a little too enthusiastically.

Even if he did, he would have cancelled them if it meant joining Yuto in whatever he was doing. Hell, he'd skipped the last week of college just to make sure he was okay, and although he wished they'd talked more about what happened, he was grateful all the same for being able to spend time with him.

"Good!" Was the response as he walked back into the living room, a bottle of something in hand. "You're spending the night with me then."

Yuya blushed hard as the possibilities that came with what Yuto said raced through his mind.

He quickly came to realise however that he probably didn't mean spending the night in his bed, but rather something more akin to a friend's night-in, presumably involving the bottle and glasses Yuto was setting down on the coffee table in front of him.

Yuya leaned forward to get a better look at what it was he'd been out to buy.

Whiskey.

"How did you get this!?" he asked, stunned.

He picked up the bottle and examined the label. It was an unbranded, honey-liqueur with what the bottle described as a 'sweet and smooth aftertaste'.

"I got it from the store down the road," he explained. "It was no problem, I knew the owner from before the war, and they know I'm almost eighteen soooo…"

"What's the occasion anyway?" Yuya inquired suspiciously, placing the bottle back down on the table.

Yuto sat down across from Yuya and leaned forwards with a smile, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

"You're the occasion, silly," he winked playfully, unscrewing the bottle as he did so.

"W-What do you mean by that?" Yuya stammered, his face now a candy red.

Yuto chuckled and put the bottle down.

He leaned forward once again, retaining his sweet smile.

"You saved my life Yuya, if it wasn't for you I would have died in the middle of that road last week."

Yuya shivered at the thought but Yuto continued. "You brought me back here and took care of me, and for that I'll be forever grateful."

Yuya was touched that he was so appreciative, but it was only two weeks ago that Yuto had saved _his_ life, fighting off the same attacker.

"You did the same thing for me the week before you know, saving my life… so really it's an occasion for both of us," he smiled back.

Yuto seemed pleased with his answer because he was soon pouring the light orange liquid into the tumbler glass in front of Yuya.

Half way through pouring his own, he stopped and looked up a little sheepishly, the confidence gone from his eyes. "There was another reason why I thought we should celebrate."

"Oh?" Yuya wasn't sure where he was going with this, but it made him a little nervous (in a good way).

Yuto finished pouring his drink and edged it towards the other side of the table. To Yuya's surprise, he silently got up and came and sat right beside him.

Butterflies began to flutter in Yuya's stomach.

It didn't matter how many times Yuto was this close to Yuya, he'd always get the same nervous feeling. Cuddling half-naked had only made the feeling stronger, his heart hitting hyperdrive anytime Yuto came close to him.

"Well… I'm really proud of you." Yuto placed a tender hand on his knee. "I know how hard it is to come out to the people you care about, and you made a huge step with what you told me last week."

Again, Yuya was touched. But he couldn't help feel like he was disappointing Yuto by keeping his true feelings for him hidden. He hadn't planned to come out to him either, it just kind of… happened. It had slipped out in the heat of the moment. His emotions had gotten the better of him.

Yuya looked a little downcast and Yuto noticed. He moved his hand away from Yuya's knee and wrapped it around his shoulders.

Yuya's frown immediately became a warm smile again. He felt safe and secure with Yuto's arm around him, like nothing could ever hurt him.

"It doesn't matter why or how you did it," Yuto explained, almost like he was reading Yuya's mind. "All that matters is that you did it. It was clearly bothering you, and it must feel so much better now that you've told someone?"

Yuya nodded and smiled. He instinctively leaned into Yuto's touch and rested his head upon his shoulder.

"Thanks Yuto."

He closed his eyes for a moment and just sat there, leaning on his friend.

He wanted this to be his life.

He wanted to wake up to this in the morning and go to sleep to it at night.

To feel warm and safe, in the loving arms of someone who would do anything to make you happy.

"Yuya."

"Yuya."

"Yuya hellooooo? Wake up Yuya."

Yuya bolted upright and frantically looked around the room, dazed.

"Did you just fall asleep on me?" Yuto smirked, grabbing his glass and holding it to his lips.

"No no I, errr."

Just how long had he been lying on him?

Yuto just laughed as he downed his drink.

"You don't have to drink if you're tired, we can just celebrate another time if you like."

"No no I want to," Yuya said defiantly, taking his glass in his hand.

He swirled the liquid around the bottom of the glass and stared at it, readying himself.

In a single a motion, he brought the glass to his lips, tilted his head back, and let the liquid trickle down his throat.

He didn't taste it at first, but he sure as Hell felt it.

His throat burned as it travelled downwards, the fiery sensation only intensifying as it reached the pit of his stomach.

It settled there, eventually dissipating into a warm pleasant glow that radiated throughout his body.

The taste hit him only moments after he'd downed the shot, (as promised) a sweet and smooth hint of honey teasing his taste buds. Although it was most certainly pleasant, it had quite the kick to it, causing Yuya to descend into a coughing fit.

Yuto seemed to find this rather amusing, as he was grinning at him and trying not to laugh. "Have you never had whiskey before?" he asked with a smirk, grabbing the bottle and pouring them both another round.

"No I have not!" Yuya huffed, a little annoyed at Yuto's teasing.

"What do you think?" he grimaced as he downed his shot.

Yuya picked up his glass and drank, quicker this time. He was still coughing by the time he'd finished, but much less so now.

"Sweet and smooth," he coughed sarcastically. "Now pour me another one."

Yuto did so, for both of them.

"You like it then?"

It was the feeling more than the taste that Yuya liked.

The warmth it emanated when it reached his belly was comforting, making him feel almost like he was in Yuto's arms again, deep under the covers of his bed.

They both downed their drinks at the same time, with no coughing on Yuya's part this time.

"It's an acquired taste," he smiled, his throat burning.

"I think people drink it less for the taste, and more for how it makes you feel." Yuto poured out another round, a lot more this time, almost half filling the glasses.

Yuya took the glass but this time sipped it, taking a few gulps at a time.

He was starting to feel light-headed.

"You mean to get drunk?" he replied, still sipping.

"Exactly." Yuto finished his drink and set the glass down. "The question is, how drunk do you want to get?"

Yuto was smirking at him with a face that suggested he was probably already a bit tipsy.

Yuya finished his drink and it suddenly hit him.

It was almost as if the alcohol in his system was only just catching up to him, because he felt much dizzier now, the light-headed feeling giving way to heightened excitability and unfound confidence.

Yuya didn't answer, he just smirked at him, grabbed the bottle and set about pouring them some more drinks.

Half a bottle and twenty minutes later, Yuya and Yuto were still sat on the sofa, glasses in hand, giggling uncontrollably.

"Yugo said WHAT!?" Yuya howled, clutching his stomach.

"I'm not lying, I'm telling you this was only after he'd had one beer." Yuto laughed loudly, ready to bust out his best Yugo impression. "He went right up to Yuri's face, and said, 'You're the most beautiful cabbage I've ever seen, please can I be your banana?'"

They both fell about laughing, Yuya dropping his glass onto the carpet as he rolled about in hysterics.

"Yu-Yugo's hilarious when he's drunk," Yuto slurred, sitting back up.

Yuya grabbed his glass, which had thankfully been empty, and set it back on the table in front of them.

"How did I not hear that!?" He wore an exaggerated frown. "I was stood right next to him!"

"You might not have heard that, but you must have heard the slap."

"Was that what that was about!?" Yuya recalled, grabbing the bottle and opting to taking a swig directly from it. "Damn, I should've payed more attention! Wasn't that the last night we all spent together in the same dimension… what was that, like eight, nine months ago?"

"Something like that," Yuto replied, gesturing for the bottle.

Yuya handed it over and stared wistfully into the broken fireplace. "I wonder how those two are doing."

"Last I heard Yugo and Yuri were…" He made a heart symbol with his fingers.

"SERIOUSLY!?" Yuya exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"They're in loveeeeeee," he joked, taking a sip of the bottle. "Although I hear it's pretty tough for them at the moment, being in different dimensions and all."

Yuya let out an audible _aww_ and placed a hand on his heart.

"Yeah Rin told me, they visit each other as often as they can, but it ain't easy when Yugo's here and Yuri's back in Fusion."

Yuya was back to frowning again. "I wish Yugo came by more often and actually talked to us you know, we barely see him these days, I mean we go to the same college for God's sake!"

Yuto tried to put a hand on Yuya's shoulder in reassurance but missed, instead grabbing nothing but air. "You know he's busy with that garage he's running." He tried for a second time and this time succeeded, squeezing him tightly. "He works harder than anyone to help the people here, when he's not in collage he's working, and when he's not working, he's in collage."

Yuya made a face. "Fine fine, but he could have at least visited this past week."

Yuto's eyes darted around the room, shifting in order to avoid Yuya's gaze.

"YOU DIDN'T TELL HIM ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED DID YOU!?"

"I haven't told anyone…I can't let it get out that I'm weak Yuya, or else… or else people might come for you and I can't let that happen." Yuto took a melancholy swig of the whiskey and set it back down.

"You're not weak!" Yuya stood up drunkenly and grabbed Yuto's hands, pulling him up so they were face to face.

Yuya was way too drunk to know what he was saying now. He squeezed Yuto's hands and swayed slightly, the alcohol affecting his balance.

"You're as tough as they come Yute."

Yuto snorted at Yuya's shortening of his name. "And that's why… that's why you're my hero… helping me and protecting me like, like… like my knight."

Yuto laughed at his choice of words and stepped back. He stood bolt upright and gallantly looked off into the distance, striking his best heroic pose.

Yuya shrieked with laughter. "See… you know it's true."

Yuto continued with the charade, unsheathing an imaginary sword and pointing it at the wall, imagining it to be their attacker from weeks prior. "Be gone knave!" he shouted, teetering on the spot as his vision blurred. "Any who dare to lay a finger on my fair Yuya, will face the wrath of my tongue, or so be it, the end of my blade!"

Yuya was rolling around on the floor clutching his stomach. Yuto walked over as stoically as possible and kneeled, offering him a hand. "My fair prince, may I assist you?"

"You may," Yuya smirked up at him, grabbing his hand and planting a kiss on his knuckles.

Yuto looked surprised, but Yuya didn't notice. He took hold of both of his hands once more and stood in front of him.

"You know it's supposed to be the other way around," Yuto observed, taking Yuya's hand and planting a kiss of his own on his knuckles. "I am but a lowly knight, and therefore it is my honour and duty to display my loyalty to my Prince."

Yuya giggled and pulled back his hand, tugging Yuto into him so that they were chest-to-chest.

He leaned in to his shoulder and ghosted his mouth over his ear.

"I couldn't resist," he whispered, keeping a firm grip on both of Yuto's hands as he did.

He really wanted to know what Yuto was feeling right now, but he couldn't read him at all. Their bond was blurry, and no matter how hard he squeezed, no matter how hard he concentrated, he just couldn't pinpoint his feelings. Damn alcohol… he'd just have to try and gauge his reaction from his expression.

Yuya pulled back from his shoulder to look at his friend's face.

It was still a flushed pink from all their drinking and laughing, but there was definitely an extra splash of colour that hadn't been there before.

He stared at his delicate but harsh features, admiring every aspect of his soft and strong complexion.

The world was melting away around him, his focus solely trained on the face of the boy in front of him.

The boy that meant so much to him, that he loved so dearly, was standing right in front of him, in _his_ living room, holding _his_ hands.

For a moment, nothing else in the world mattered. He didn't care that he didn't have the courage to tell Yuto his true feelings, he didn't care that they were both blind drunk, he didn't care that there was someone out there who wanted one or both of them dead.

All he could think about, all he wanted, was Yuto.

His flushed pink cheeks, his hypnotic silver eyes, his enticing red lips…

Yuya suddenly found himself moving on instinct. He pulled Yuto forwards, closing the distance between them instantaneously.

A little more hesitantly now, he leaned into Yuto, took a long look into his eyes, and planted a kiss firmly on his lips.

It was quick and sudden, a peck to gauge his reaction.

Yuto didn't look surprised.

He looked almost unfulfilled, left wanting by the abrupt end that Yuya had put to the kiss. His eyes were completely lidded, and he hadn't pulled back, instead leaning further towards Yuya in the hope of capturing his lips once again.

Yuya smiled to himself, and went for it.

He slammed his lips into Yuto's, all of his dreams coming true as he did so.

They were warm and inviting, beckoning him to probe further.

He couldn't stop himself.

He deepened the kiss, their lips sliding quicker and quicker over the other's. Hands began to wander, and Yuya could feel the grip of Yuto's hand in his hair.

The white-hot heat of Yuto's tongue entering his mouth came as a pleasant reminder that he wasn't the only one getting really in to this.

Yuya returned the favour, his tongue coasting over Yuto's lips and into his mouth. He could taste the alcohol as he probed the contents of his mouth, the sweet flavour of the honey liqueur stimulating his senses even further.

They were soon passionately fighting for control, their tongues fiercely vying for space in an attempt to taste the passion and fervour they were sharing, exploring every texture and every shape as if this was their only opportunity to ever do so.

The feeling was amazing, and although he couldn't think (or see) straight, he knew Yuto must have been enjoying it too.

They both pulled away, pressing their foreheads together in order to take a breath. They were left almost panting, worn out from the intensity of it all.

"Sweet and smooth," Yuya simpered, giggling as he slowed his breathing.

Yuto laughed and smirked back at him. Their eyes met once again, and as they did so, as platinum silver fell upon garnet red, Yuya felt an urge.

He felt the urge to confess his feelings. It was the right time, and an opportune moment given the circumstances, but could he do it?

Just as his mouth opened, as the first syllable was about to leave his mouth, a loud splintering sound filled the room.

Both Yuya and Yuto flinched in surprise, pulling apart and stumbling backwards as the deafening sound of shattering glass flooded their ears.

For a moment Yuya was almost catatonic, unable to hear or say anything as the fear in his mind took over.

He could see Yuto shouting something at him, but he couldn't hear what he was saying.

Yuto ran back over to him, forcing him to sit down.

"Yuya are you okay!?"

His voice was suddenly audible again, the shock seemingly wearing off.

"Yu-Yu-Yuto what… what was that?" he stammered, visibly frightened. The fear and shock seemed to have momentarily assuaged the effect of the alcohol at least (for better or worse).

Yuto pointed to the window on the far side of the room. There was a huge rectangular hole in it, with fracture lines spreading out across the glass as the pane tried to maintain its structural integrity.

Just below the window lay the object that had perforated it, a large brick with what looked like writing on.

Yuto turned in order to examine the window from up close, but was stopped by Yuya pawing at his hand.

"I'll be just over there, okay?" he told him sweetly, letting Yuya's hand slip back onto the sofa.

Yuto wobbled and lurched his way over to the window, still (obviously) drunk.

He peered out of the large hole, before whispering some obscenities into the darkness outside.

He turned back around. "Whoever did this isn't there anymore," he reported. "So don't worry."

He bent down and picked up the brick with both hands, setting it down on the table in the middle of the room.

It was huge for a brick, and it did indeed have writing on it, in what looked like either blood or red paint.

Yuya stared at Yuto as he read what was written on it.

Yuto's face dropped and his rosy cheeks became a ghostly pale.

"Yuto wh-what is it? What does it say?"

Yuto didn't answer, he merely swallowed and sat back down.

"You need to read this."

Yuya hesitantly made his way towards it, peering at it from as far away as he could.

Yuya nearly threw up on the spot.

'WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE LANCER SCUM. MEET ME WHERE IT ALL BEGAN, HELL'S HIGHWAY, 2 DAYS, MIDNIGHT… OR YOUR HOME, YOUR COLLEGE, YOUR FRIENDS… WILL BURN'

Yuya collapsed into the sofa behind him and curled up into a ball. He started to cry, tears quickly filling his eyes and streaming down his cheeks.

Yuto hurriedly pulled him into a tight embrace, stroking his hair reassuringly.

"Wh-What are we going to do?" he cried, shaking like a leaf under Yuto's touch.

"We have to face him." Yuto's voice was stern and assured, as if he had completely recovered from the initial shock. "We can't let this man, or whoever he's working for, control our life!"

Yuya sniffed in agreement. He was scared. More scared than he'd ever been, but this was something they had to do.

"We can think about how we're going to approach this tomorrow."

Yuto was awfully sensible and in control (despite being under the heavy influence of alcohol).

"Yuto." Yuya looked up at him as he clung to his chest. "Can I sleep with you tonight? I'm really fucking scared"

Yuto smiled warmly,

"Sure thing," he replied, wrapping his arms tighter around his body.

That was all Yuya wanted to hear, because as soon as Yuto uttered his reply, he was out.

A mix of alcohol, exhaustion and fear was enough to ensure he wasn't waking up anytime soon, either.

Yuto glanced down at Yuya's sleeping form and smiled to himself.

He looked over at the window and wondered how much it would cost to fix, or if that even mattered given the circumstances.

He slowly stood up, and being careful not to wake Yuya, proceeded to pick him up bridle style and carry him to his room.

Laying him on the bed, he pulled the covers up around him and got in. He curled around his body, just as Yuya had done with him the week before, and kissed him lightly on the back of his neck.

"Goodnight, sweet Prince," he chimed, before closing his eyes and promptly falling asleep to the sound of Yuya's light snoring.


	6. The Morning After (The Night Before)

Chapter 6: The Morning After (The Night Before)

"Urgggggh."

Yuya's eyes opened a crack as he let out a long, drawn-out groan.

Through the slits of his almost fully-lidded eyes he could just about make out the LED lights of an alarm clock, although the numbers were indecipherable to him at this point. His vision was still blurry, but that was the least of his problems.

He couldn't remember what had happened last night, or where he'd ended up (this was definitely not his room) and on top of that, his head hurt like Hell.

 _I'm never drinking again_ , he thought to himself as he shut his eyes, blocking out the piercing light that had interrupted his sleep. It was no use however, because the curtain hadn't been pulled on whoever's bedroom window it was, bathing him in the morning sunlight.

Yuya groaned again, this time more audibly.

He felt something, _someone_ , stir behind him.

Yuya stiffened and opened his eyes as wide as possible, taking in the details of the room he found himself in. From his position on the bed he could make out only the clock, the window and… impressively large bedposts?

He must be in a king-sized bed, he thought, but who owns a king si-

 _Holy shit he's in Yuto's bed again_.

Which means the person in the bed with him must be…

Yuya flipped over only to be greeted by Yuto's similarly confused face, his cheeks flushed a light pink.

His eyes were half-lidded and his hair a complete mess, but he looked as beautiful to Yuya as the day he'd first laid eyes on him.

This was Yuto as natural and unrefined as he'd ever seen him, and although the hungover look definitely didn't suit him (or anyone for that matter), he would never look anything less than perfect to Yuya.

"Um, good morning?" Yuto offered, dazed by the light streaming in through the window.

"Morning," Yuya laughed hesitantly, half expecting him to ask him what the hell he was doing lying so close to him.

Instead he sat up and propped himself up against the backboard of the bed, groaning as he went.

"Wha-What happened last night?" He placed a hand upon his forehead and leaned his head back dramatically.

"I… I really can't remember."

Yuya had almost no idea. His memory of the night was patchy, appearing only in shards of cognizance that he couldn't quite piece together.

He remembered his first taste of the whiskey, but after that what happened and when was anybody's guess.

Talk of Yugo and Yuri was the only definite thing he could recall, but even then his recollection of the conversation was poor. Something about bananas and cabbages was it?

"Must have been one hell of a night." Yuto pulled back the duvet to reveal they were wearing the same clothes as the night before.

Good, Yuya thought to himself, at least they hadn't done _things_. If they had have done and he hadn't have remembered it, he'd be severely pissed off.

"I need a drink," Yuto mumbled, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

"You're joking right?" Yuya asked in disbelief, reluctantly doing the same motion.

"No?" He looked at Yuya a little bewildered. "Oh you meant- No no I meant coffee… you want one?"

Yuya laughed a little and nodded with a smile.

His head throbbed with all the intensity of a jackhammer to his skull, but he would always have a smile for Yuto, no matter what.

Yuto smiled back weakly, clearly feeling the effects of the night before as Yuya was.

He stood up slowly, his movement laboured and heavy, and stumbled towards the door. Flinging it open, he stepped out into the small hallway and headed for the kitchen.

Yuya made it to the door in a similarly exhausted manner, but was stopped from going any further by a blast of cold air that felt as if it blew in from the Arctic itself.

He shivered and pressed on, the air only growing colder as he reached the open door to the living room.

Why was it so cold?

Creeping in through the doorway, he called out to Yuto to let him know where he'd be.

There was a muffled response that Yuya didn't hear, but it wouldn't have mattered even if he had because he was frozen (literally too), his eyes fixed on the source of all the cold air: the broken window.

The sudden realisation hit him like a thunderbolt, almost knocking him off his feet.

He staggered into the sofa and let himself fall, his brain whirring into life as the holes in his memory began filling themselves in.

It all came flooding back at once, memories jolting through his mind, words flashing across his subconscious.

He clutched at his hair, raking his fingernails over his eyes in protest, trying his hardest to shut it out.

"No no no no NOOOO," he cried, pressing the palms of his hands over his eyes in a last-ditch attempt to stop it.

For a moment, it worked.

Instead of glass smashing, instead of men with knives, all he saw was… _Yuto._

Yuto with his funny stories about Yugo and Yuri. Yuto with his silly knight impression. Yuto carrying him to bed whilst he was almost asleep (he was in fact, still awake, but Yuto didn't need to know that).

It wasn't enough though. Something was missing. A hole still persisted in his memory from that night, between Yuto's knight impression and him carrying him to bed. What was it?

The question of the missing memory was a welcome distraction for Yuya, and was enough for him to remove his hands from his face and open his eyes.

He immediately wished he hadn't because on the table in front of him, lay the brick that had broken their window the night before, and with it Yuya's resolve.

Last night he had thought that meeting their aggressor was something they had to do, but now, all he wanted to do was run away. Far away.

He stared at it, the crudely written words scrawled into its blackened surface calling to him, taunting him with the inevitable, that he was going to have to face this one way or another.

 _Lancer._

 _Scum._

 _Home._

 _College._

 _Friends…_

 _…Burn._

He shut his eyes again and tried to think about what made him happy (which was Yuto of course).

To his relief, he heard the door to the living room swing open and Yuto walk in, almost as if he knew he needed him.

He hurried in and set two mugs down on the table either side of the brick. Spotting how distressed Yuya appeared, he sat down beside him and placed a shaking hand on his knee.

"You don't need to be afraid Yuya." His voice was soft and reassuring, but the severity of the situation meant Yuya was going to need a little more convincing.

"Why shouldn't I be?" he snapped, instantly regretting the tone he used.

He quietly apologised and slipped his goggles over his eyes in shame. He continued though, his voice trembling as he fought back tears.

"If-If we don't meet this guy and whoever else is with him, they're going to kill us Yuto… and not just us, they'll hurt our friends too."

"You don't need to worry about any of that…" Yuto stared into the broken fireplace, avoiding Yuya's gaze. "…Because you're not going to face him… I am."

"Wh-What are you talking about!?" Yuya demanded, knowing full well what he meant.

"I'll face him alone… you don't need to put yourself in any danger."

Yuya felt a fury inside of him building. He clenched his fists and bared his teeth at Yuto, unable to control his anger. "This isn't just your cross to bear Yuto, I'm just as involved in this as you are… I'm not just going to hide away like some coward while you face some fucking lunatic and God only knows what else on your own."

Yuto tried to say something, but either couldn't find the words, or was too shocked to even try. He recoiled his hand from Yuya's knee, but he didn't seem to notice.

Yuya continued, his fear and sadness becoming anger and hate. "This guy… this fucking guy," he spat, "has ruined our lives over and over for the past month… he's threatened us, nearly killed one of us, and now wants to burn our flat down with everyone else in it… and you want me to stay here and let him do that?"

Yuya was no longer shaking with dread, but with anger and animosity. Moments ago, he was a frightened boy wishing his problems away, but now, he was of a different mindset. Yuto's words had inadvertently struck something within him, causing all of his pent-up rage to come spilling out at once. He suddenly wanted to punish this man, to inflict the same pain and suffering he'd caused him and Yuto.

He breathed heavily upon finishing with his tirade, slipping his goggles back up onto his head and placing his hands by his sides. He finally noticed Yuto's hand was missing from his knee.

He looked up to see Yuto staring at the floor. He wore an expression of sorrow and regret, the corners of his eyes twitching a little and… and… was he…

…crying?

Yuya watched in both remorse and curiosity (he'd never seen Yuto cry before) as a lone tear crept down his cheek. Yuto never moved, or even blinked for that matter, but it was obvious he was really upset.

"I'm… I'm really sorry Yuya," he whispered, his gaze shifting to match Yuya's.

His eyes were brimming with tears, and it instantly made Yuya want to take back everything he'd said.

"This is _our_ fight, not just mine… it was stupid and wrong of me to think otherwise. It's just…" He paused and blinked, tears gracefully cascading down his cheeks. "I can't bear the thought of losing you."

Yuya was tearing up now. He knew he meant a lot to Yuto, and after all they'd been through, they were closer than they'd ever been. Yuya obviously wanted them to be closer still, but it was still unclear to him whether Yuto felt the same.

He shuffled closer to Yuto and put an arm around him, pulling him close.

"I don't want to lose you either, that's why I need to be there to back you up," Yuya assured, not really knowing what to do having not been in this situation before. He figured he'd just do what Yuto did to comfort him, albeit with less confidence and more intrigue.

He tentatively placed his hand in Yuto's, hoping to make him feel better about the whole thing.

Almost instantly upon their fingers interlocking, a jarring mix of fear and distress diffused through their fingers, as if Yuto was telling Yuya just how he felt about the prospect of losing him.

Crushing despair shot up his arm and into his chest, making him instinctively reach for his heart as the feeling shook him to his very core.

"I don't care what happens to me, but if something were to happen to you…" Yuto squeezed back tightly and looked up at him, his eyes filled with desperation. "I won't let it happen…I'll always be by your side… I will always be there."

Yuya tried to send reassuring feelings across their bond, hoping that it would help to comfort him.

Yuto relaxed his grip around him a little, shivering as he did so.

"As long as you've got my back and I've got yours, they don't stand a chance," Yuya smiled, enjoying the confidence his anger had afforded him.

In truth he was still scared, but now… he felt as though their inevitable confrontation was a necessity, an obstacle in his life, in _their_ lives, that they had to overcome in order for them to continue.

"Plus, we'll have our duel disks." He stroked Yuto's hair lightly. "So no need to go uppercutting anyone this time around."

Yuto chuckled but quickly stopped himself. "But what if we lose them, what then? You've never fought hand-to-hand before."

The worry in Yuto's voice was palpable.

Yuya's temporary confidence was on hand however to assure him of his safety. "I'll be fine, I won't lose mine I promise! I'll glue it to my arm if I have to! Either that or you teach me…"

The last part was meant as a joke, but Yuto seemed to have taken to the idea. "I can teach you," he said, wiping his eyes and standing up, his expression softer and much more like normal now.

"Umm, right now you mean?"

"We only have till tomorrow night, I want to make sure you're ready and prepared for anything."

Yuto began pushing the table towards the wall to move it out of the way, seemingly giving Yuya no choice in the matter.

His head hurt, he was freezing, and his vision was still not what it should be.

 _Not the ideal time for training self-defence_ , he thought, getting to his feet and helping Yuto push back the sofas to give them some room.

Given how events had unfolded since he had woken up, all Yuya wanted to do was cuddle with Yuto in his nice warm bed, not grapple with him in their freezing cold living room.

Still, he was doing this because he'd do anything to make Yuto happy again after seeing him so upset moments ago. He was upset out of genuine concern for him, so the least he could do now was reassure him how capable he was going to be with a lesson in hand-to-hand combat.

Plus, the idea of getting hot, sweaty and rough with Yuto was a rather appealing thought…

Once they'd pushed all three sofas up against the wall, the living room was pretty much empty, save for the rug that the coffee table had stood upon.

Yuya stole a quick sip of his coffee before joining Yuto, who stood in the centre of the room, tapping his foot gently.

"I'm ready," Yuya smiled, standing opposite him.

"Good, because this isn't going to be easy." He cracked his knuckles loudly, sending a shiver down Yuya's spine.

"We'll start with some basics." He held up his hand, clenching and unclenching his fingers.

"Hit me," he smirked. "Give it to me as hard as you can."

Yuto's unintentionally euphemistic request combined with his cheeky smile made Yuya think of a _different_ situation in which he would be asked to 'give it to him hard', turning his cheeks a light shade of pink.

 _He really needed to take this more seriously_.

He stepped forward grinning, ready to strike.

Swinging his arm in a sort of punching motion, he weakly connected with Yuto's open hand, making barely a sound.

Yuto caught Yuya's fist before he could retract it, yanking him forwards and placing his own fist just under Yuya's jaw.

"I would have broken your jaw," he grinned smugly. "You'll have to do a hell of a lot better than that Yuya."

He pushed him backwards forcefully and held up his hand for another round. "Again."

Yuya knew the smug look on Yuto's face was only bait to make him hit harder, but it was working regardless.

Yuya tried again, registering a light tapping sound as his fist connected, but Yuto was able to catch his fist with just as much ease as the first time.

"You're going to have to do better than that Yuya," he teased, holding his hand open again.

Yuya was getting worked up now. Yuto's almost mocking tone was bad enough, but on top of that he was embarrassing himself in front of his crush!

He yanked his hand away, ready to swing again.

And so he did, again… and again… and again, with no success each time.

"Yuto I can't," he breathed, bending over. "I'm just not strong enough."

It was tough to say, but it was the truth.

"Of course you are! Everyone has it in them, you're just not getting angry enough." Yuto held his hand up for a final time. "Just imagine my hand is the face of the guy that's messing with us. He tried to kill us both Yuya, he insulted you and almost stabbed me. Just imagine him mocking us… Mocking me, as he brought his knife down onto my-"

Yuya suddenly swung his arm with a resentful cry, his fist connecting with Yuto's open palm with a loud smack. It was a ferocious strike, causing Yuto to recoil his hand in pain.

He winced as he clenched his fingers, but his expression soon changed to one of pride. "I knew you had it in you," he smiled.

Yuya shook his head, seemingly forlorn despite succeeding. "The thought of him hurting you is just too much... I don't want to have to think of that again."

Yuto nodded in understanding. "Okay I get that… we can try something different then, but if it ever comes down to it, don't be afraid to tap into that anger."

He stepped forwards and span Yuya around so that he was facing away from him.

Before he could protest, Yuto's hands were suddenly around his waist, coming to rest on the lower part of his abdomen.

Yuya stiffened, nearly squeaking in surprise. His hands were strangely warm considering how cold it was, radiating heat through the light fabric of his shirt.

Yuto pressed hard up against his back, embracing him, almost like a backwards hug. He rested his chin upon his shoulder and continued to pull him by his waist so that there was almost no space between them.

Yuya's cheeks burned as he felt Yuto's crotch press against his ass, the sensation causing him to involuntarily lean into the touch.

"Now you need to know how to escape a hold like this so pay attention okay?" Yuto whispered into his ear, slowly moving his hands onto Yuya's hips and tightening his grip.

Getting grabbed from behind didn't quite carry the same level of danger or threat when Yuto was the one doing the grabbing.

Yuya just nodded as attentively as he could, trying (but failing) to not get distracted by their proximity.

"First, take your arm and move it up here." Yuto gently took hold of his arm and guided it upwards, gesturing for him to bend it slightly when his wrist reached his face. "Then point your elbow towards me, and jab it backwards." Yuya did so as slowly as possible, although it was difficult when he could feel Yuto's hot breath drifting along his skin.

"Now stomp down on my foot, that should shock them enough to release you." Yuya did so gently, and Yuto, continuing with their simulation, let him go.

"Try and do it in one quick motion, to give them more of a shock." Yuto took hold of him again from behind. "As hard as you can, just don't reach too far back or you'll break my nose."

Yuya laughed nervously and readied himself, ignoring how close they'd become again. He needed to show Yuto he was ready.

As quickly as he could, he brought his arm up and jabbed his elbow backwards, and then stamped on Yuto's foot (as softly as he could).

But as he was moving forwards having been released from Yuto's grasp, his foot caught the corner of the rug, causing him to lose his balance. He stumbled and teetered around the room, unable to regain it. Yuto reached out a hand to help him, which Yuya took, but it only served to worsen matters.

Yuya was moving with such velocity that when he eventually ended up tripping himself up and landing in a heap on the floor, he inevitably brought Yuto crashing down on top of him.

Yuya had landed on his back, his arms flat out by his sides, with Yuto's head settling on the rug, inches from his own. The rest of Yuto had settled almost limb for limb on top of him, their legs entangled and arms splayed.

Yuto, seemingly unhurt, pushed himself up onto his hands and hovered above Yuya, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you okay!?" he fretted, checking him over.

Yuya was a little dazed, but other than that, he was fine.

"I'm good," he groaned, opening his eyes to Yuto staring down at him.

There was something different in Yuto's face that he couldn't quite place. He'd seen it before, but where… and when?

Quickly realising how awkward their current positioning might be for Yuto, he tried to untangle their legs. Yuya expected Yuto to clamber off of him and laugh it off once he had done, but instead he did something that he really didn't expect.

He shifted his legs either side of Yuya's hips and got on to his knees, _straddling_ him.

Yuya's breathing quickened, his pulse racing.

"Are you sure? You look a little faint."

Yuto leaned down for a closer look so that they were face-to-face, his mouth so close to Yuya's that he could feel his hot breath ghosting over his lips.

…and then it clicked.

 _He remembered._

Last night…

…the look on Yuto's face…

…the _kiss._

A surge of passion welled up inside of him at the thought, the desire the memory was stirring latching onto his brain and draining him of any sense.

He fought for control, trying to his best to hold back the tide of lust and fascination that was sweeping throughout his body.

He couldn't lose control, not now.

He stared at Yuto's lips. They were so close he could see how delicate and red they were, still a little swollen from their kiss the night before. If he reached up even just a few centimetres, their lips would meet once again.

Did Yuto remember though?

That was the question that was keeping him from doing so. If he didn't remember, and he did kiss him, there was a chance that Yuto would be seriously weirded out, potentially ruining their friendship, and any future chance at a relationship.

He couldn't take that chance. He was just going to have to wait. He needed to confess his feelings first, but this… this wasn't the right time.

Yuya reluctantly stayed as still as he could, biting his lip and steadying his breathing, which was still hot and heavy.

Yuto eventually leaned back, presumably satisfied with his inspection of Yuya's flushed features (either that or he was actually teasing him, although this was a possibility that Yuya was completely oblivious to).

"I think your fine, it looks like all our training and that fall got your heart going, that's all," he smiled, his cheeks a little red.

After he'd finished speaking, he let out an audible yawn.

As he did so, he stretched his arms backwards in an exaggerated manner, shifting his weight back onto his knees, and pushing his ass down back onto Yuya's groin.

Yuya screwed his eyes shut tight and tried not to buck his hips.

The light touch of Yuto's ass through the thin fabric of his pants was too much to bear however.

He rolled his hips involuntarily and stifled a moan, praying that Yuto wouldn't notice.

He kept his eyes firmly shut during the silence that followed. If Yuto had noticed he didn't say anything, because he was soon climbing off of Yuya, to his relief.

This was way too much.

It was getting to the point where he couldn't hide it anymore, he just had to tell him how he felt.

After tomorrow night, he told himself, once that ordeal was over… he would tell him.

Yuya opened his eyes to an empty living room, with Yuto having moved into the kitchen while he had lay there. He could hear the sound of cutlery and kitchenware being banged around, so it was pretty obvious where he'd gone.

"Yuya! I'm gonna make some breakfast, you want any!?" Yuto shouted over the noise.

Yuya was starving having not eaten since yesterday. That, and their night of drinking coupled with the training this morning had left him exhausted.

He was just about to shout him his answer when he stopped himself.

The cause of his hesitation was the twitching sensation between his legs, and a tightness in his trousers that he knew all too well.

He looked down at the bulge that had formed at the front of his pants and sighed.

"Umm, just give me fifteen minutes!" he called back, before getting up and swiftly heading in the direction of the bathroom.


	7. The Coming Storm

Chapter 7: The Coming Storm

One day later…

… _11:30pm_.

 _Thirty minutes to midnight._

Yuya bit his nails anxiously and glanced up at the clock, his brow furrowed and his mouth dry.

When it didn't change after a few moments of expectant staring, he tore his eyes away to look elsewhere for a distraction, mentally cursing his impatience as he did so.

They would be heading out soon, very soon.

He lay back into the leather of the sofa in an attempt to relax, but he couldn't get comfortable.

The uncertainty that came with what lay ahead was eating away at him, and with all the time he had had (and still has) to think about how it was going to go down, he was beginning to doubt himself.

Over the past day and night, whenever he hadn't been distracted by Yuto's training, he'd only been able to think about what was going to happen at midnight. Every potential scenario had been played out in his mind, but each one always came with a set of questions that he didn't want to know the answer to. One of these questions came up over and over again, as if it overrode all of his other concerns.

 _What if… Yuto was killed?_

It was a harrowing thought, and one that both frightened and motivated him. On the one hand he was more afraid than he'd ever been, with the thought of losing the one he loved causing his heart to stop with fear every time it crossed his mind. On the other hand, he didn't want to let Yuto down, he _couldn't_ let him down if they both wanted to make it through this alive. For him, he was going to have to be strong and brave… and do whatever it takes to make sure he was safe.

Yuya started to lightly drum his fingers on the arm of the sofa, his duel disk quivering slightly at the movement of his wrist.

His hands were shaking.

He clenched his fists and looked back up at the clock.

 _11:33pm._

Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet and tentatively walked towards Yuto's room, deciding to see what was keeping him.

They'd agreed to make for Hell's Highway at 11:35pm, and given how close by that actually was, Yuya hadn't thought it too good an idea, especially considering how explicit the instructions they'd received had been. Yuto, ever the planner, made the case that by getting there slightly earlier, they could get inside the head of their tormentor, potentially throwing him off guard.

They were already at a disadvantage with the location. It was seemingly chosen to try and unsettle them, either that or it had been chosen because of its significance to the three of them: It was the site of their first encounter all those weeks ago. The message hadn't exactly specified, but both Yuya and Yuto agreed that they would likely find its sender (and whoever else) at the very centre of the road, by its only surviving streetlamp, 'where it all began.'

Yuya approached Yuto's bedroom door and rapped his fist on it lightly. "Are you ready Yuto?" he called out after he'd done so, hoping that Yuto wouldn't notice how nervous he was when he inevitably opened the door.

He was doing a lousy job of hiding it. After knocking, his hand had involuntarily made its way back to his mouth, and he found himself absent-mindedly chewing on his nails once again. His hands still shook, giving him the look of a nervous puppy rather than an unyielding adversary like Yuto was.

The door was soon swung open by a relaxed looking Yuto, who smiled at him in a way that made Yuya remember why he was doing this, and who it was all for.

Yuya took a step backwards as Yuto closed the door behind him. He couldn't help but admire the way he looked, and the way he carried himself.

He was dressed in almost all black, with his formal shirt being the only exception, a dark shade of green. His faded black pants were smarter than usual, as if they'd been recently pressed. He'd decided against a tie from the looks of it (presumably for practical reasons), but that hadn't stopped him from wearing his faithful jacket to complete his usual look, its back sweeping behind him like a cape. He wore it with grace and poise, as if he was meant to wear it.

Yuto calmly tightened his duel disk and checked his deck holster before looking back up at Yuya, eyeing him from head to toe.

Yuya felt a little embarrassed under Yuto's watchful eye, especially given how he looked in comparison. He… didn't exactly look intimidating in the same way Yuto did. His usual orange t-shirt, green cargo pants and old school jacket didn't make him look particularly threatening, but they were comfortable nonetheless.

Yuto noticed Yuya's uncomfortable expression, and quickly apologised. "Sorry, I was just checking you had your deck and everything."

Still biting his nails furiously, Yuya nodded in response.

Yuto noticed this and offered him another smile, before stepping forwards and placing a hand on his wrist.

Yuya froze for a second, his fingers still at his mouth, but motionless.

Yuto gently eased his arm down to his side, all the while maintaining his warmest possible smile. Yuya could only stare back in disbelief as Yuto slid his hand into his, clasping their fingers together as they met.

"Don't look so worried okay? Everything's going to turn out fine, we're both getting through this." Yuto's tone was soothing and his touch tender, making Yuya feel a lot more positive about the coming ordeal.

He felt a flash of reassuring feelings ripple through their interlaced fingers, their unspoken bond proving to be just as powerful as Yuto's words.

Yuto kept hold of his hand and began to lead him through to the living room and towards the front door, gently pulling him along.

Once they'd reached the door, Yuto turned around to face Yuya. He squeezed his hand a little tighter and pulled him into a hug.

It was a gentle and intimate embrace, with Yuto curling his arms around Yuya's waist and holding him close, their bodies pressed flush up against each other.

Yuya responded instantly by leaning into his touch, letting his body melt into Yuto's arms.

They stood for a few moments in near silence, their breathing the only sound to be heard.

Yuto eventually broke the silence with a whisper. "I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised, drawing reassuring circles on his back.

Yuya felt the corners of his eyes welling up. The way he felt inside when Yuto showed how protective he was over him was overwhelming.

He gripped at the back of his shirt tighter, promising himself he wasn't going to cry. He needed to look strong, to _be_ strong.

"Just promise me you won't get hurt either," he choked, his voice breaking slightly. "I can't lose you… not now."

Yuya still had so much to say to him, to do with him… he didn't want this to end, not before it had even had a chance to begin.

"I promise," Yuto assured him, patting his back before pulling away. "Now let's end this." He swung open the front door and stepped outside, with Yuya following anxiously behind, his eyes still a little wet from their moment of intimacy.

Locking the door with his set of keys, Yuto turned and made for the stairway. Yuya followed him down the stairs and towards the door. Stepping out into the night's sky, he felt a rush of cold air greet his bare arms, causing him to shiver.

Yuto noticed and was quick to chide him. "You should have worn a coat you know, it was bound to be cold at…" He checked his duel disk for the time. "…11:45 at night."

"I had other things to be thinking about," Yuya chattered through gritted teeth, the cold already starting to bite.

They walked slowly along the well-lit road outside their flat, until Yuto stopped having heard Yuya shiver once more. He began to take off his long flowing jacket, earning protests from Yuya that were quickly dismissed.

Once it was off, he forced Yuya to put his school jacket on properly, to little or no complaint. He then placed his own jacket around Yuya's shoulders, a gesture which was both chivalric and thoughtful. Yuya of course tried to protest again. "But what about you?" he asked, just as concerned as Yuto was about him.

"I'll be fine," Yuto responded adamantly, before turning to him and smirking. "Besides, the cold is no match for the Dark Duelist."

Yuya let out a nervous laugh and pulled his jacket tight, grateful of both the warmth and Yuto's humour.

"Thank you," he smiled back, turning a corner as Yuto did.

The streetlights were beginning to get sparser. Yuya felt a familiar sense of dread creep into the back of his mind. They were getting closer.

"So, Yuto…" he started apprehensively, looking for some reassurance. "It's just going to be _him_ there right? Just him…?"

Yuto opened his mouth as if to speak but changed his mind at the last minute. "I don't think so Yuya," he eventually replied, opting for the truth rather than trying to sugar-coat it. "There's more to this than we know, and I have a feeling he's not the only one out there gunning for us."

Yuya stared at his feet in grim acceptance. "But why? Who is this guy and what does he want with us?"

"I wish I knew." Yuto made one final turn before stopping dead in his tracks. He stood waiting in the fading light of a streetlamp that marked the beginning of the ruined road known as Hell's Highway. "All we can do is assume he won't be alone, and that he isn't here to make friends."

Yuya stood beside him, staring into the abyss ahead. A growing pit in his stomach began to form as the memories of their last encounter here flashed through his mind.

Recalling the glint of their attacker's knife, he frantically grabbed his deck from his pocket and inserted it into his duel disk. At least this time, he'd be able to fight back.

"It's 11:51…" Yuto stated calmly, pushing his cards into his own disk. "It's time."

Yuya took a deep breath and nodded.

Yuto smiled one last time before heading off into the darkness, with Yuya following close behind.

The ground underfoot was uneven and rough, filled with holes and small craters from the constant shelling this part of the line had suffered during the war. Yuya struggled to walk without tripping up every few steps. How had they managed to run on this before? he wondered, trying to distract himself.

As the ground evened out a little, he picked his head up and looked around for any signs of life.

It was no use. The road was pitch black on all sides thanks to the lack of working streetlights, making seeing anything more than a few feet away impossible.

Walking as close as possible as not lose him, he reached out his arm and pawed at the moonlit silhouette that was Yuto's figure. His fingers managed to clasp onto what he presumed was his shoulder, keeping him steady as they traversed yet more broken ground.

Eventually, Yuya spotted a light in the distance. It was the only working streetlight on this road, right at its epicentre, and their final destination. His stomach knotted at the sight and he squeezed Yuto's shoulder to signal his fear.

"It'll be okay," came the response in a hushed but reassuring tone.

They tentatively approached the light, the crooked lamp itself slowly becoming visible as they neared its arc of light.

Finally arriving at the edge of the light's reach, Yuya timidly came out from behind Yuto's shadow to stand alongside him.

He turned around three sixty degrees as he did so, scanning their immediate environment for something, _anything._ All he could see however was what he'd seen before, but from the opposite side. To his left and right stood the same desolate concrete buildings he'd viewed before, still void of any colour, or of any life.

Yuya checked his duel disk.

 _12:03_.

It had taken them longer than expected.

He turned to Yuto. "Maybe we're too-"

A figure suddenly emerged from the darkness and stepped into the light, causing Yuya's voice to trail off into fearful murmur.

It was _him_.

"It's nice of you to finally join me," he proclaimed loudly, his voice as confident and as threatening as the last time they'd met. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

The glint in his eye gave him a crazed, almost maniacal look. The rest of his face, like last time, was covered by a bandana of sorts. Without the hoodie however, unkempt strands of blonde and brownish hair could now be seen hanging limply from his head.

He also wore a dark, tattered brown jacket and a pair of jeans that had been ripped up at the knees, his boots being of a similar condition.

What was most worrying (and somewhat intriguing) was that he no longer wielded a knife, but a duel disk.

"It's not like we had a choice," Yuto shot back, unfazed by the situation. Yuya on the other hand had taken a step backwards, unsure of whether to say something or keep quiet.

"Still, I didn't expect your coward of a boyfriend over there to show up." He gestured towards Yuya.

Yuto gritted his teeth and snarled, taking a step forward and activating his duel disk. "You really need to watch what you say."

Yuya was touched that Yuto was so protective over him but it was obvious he was being played.

The man smirked and turned to Yuya. "You know you really ought to keep him on a tighter leash…" He gestured behind him and out of the darkness came two other men, each dressed in similarly tattered clothing with a duel disk strapped to their arms. They stood beside him, disks at the ready. "…unless you're _that_ eager to die, in which case by all means continue to test my patience."

Yuto took a reluctant step back, deactivating his duel disk. His expression was somewhere between defiant and hopeless, a look that he rarely sported.

If Yuto didn't like their odds, neither did Yuya.

Still, as long as they had their decks they had a fighting chance.

"Who are you?" Yuto growled, trying not to sound too threatening.

The man let out a muffled laugh and gestured around him chauvinistically. "I am but a loyal soldier, as are my comrades here."

"What does that even mean?"

All three of them began to laugh at how truly clueless Yuto sounded, with one of them even going as far as mockingly clapping at his perceived stupidity.

Yuto was getting riled again. Yuya could see it in his face, his brow furrowed and his jaw firmly clenched. His burnished steel eyes were lit with a flame of defiance, giving Yuya cause to step in before he did anything stupid.

Inching as close as he could to him, Yuya put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "They're trying to get to you Yuto, they _want_ you to get angry and lose your cool, it won't help us," he whispered, hoping Yuto would heed his warning.

There was little chance of that happening, especially considering they had somehow heard it.

"You should listen to your fuckboy you know," the man laughed in response.

Yuto violently shook his head and clenched his fists until they shook uncontrollably. In a fit of rage he marched over to them and threw up his arm, ready to duel. "One more fucking word about him and you're dead, all of you!" he shouted. "Now answer me, who are you and what the fuck do you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, one of the three men activated his duel disk, the whirring sound it gave off catching Yuto by surprise. Before he could pull a card from his deck, the man quickly summoned a monster they were all too familiar with, an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound.

It leapt at Yuto, knocking him to the ground.

Yuya's eyes widened in horror as the beast clamped its jaws down onto Yuto's arm, crushing his duel disk and locking his arm in place, preventing him from fighting back.

Yuya looked at his own disk and activated it. Fumbling with his cards, his hands trembling, he drew enough of them to ensure he would have a monster and turned them over. Before he even had a chance to think about what card to play however, his cards were flung from his hand and into the air by the claws of another hound.

He stumbled back and lost his footing, crashing to the ground as his cards fluttered down all around him. The hound was soon on him again, its jaws gnashing and grinding just inches from his face. He screamed as it took hold of his arm, clenching its vicelike mandibles around the soft tissue. His duel disk splintered, spitting jolts of electricity and hot sparks onto his skin as it was crushed under the force of the hound's bite. Its giant canines slipped over his thin wrist and locked it tight, causing him to again cry out in pain.

Tears stung his eyes as he glanced over at Yuto, who lay writhing on the ground beside him, trying to free himself from the other hound's grip.

Rolling his body to try to escape its grasp, he desperately punched and kicked at the hunk of metal that was slobbering over his arm.

It was no use.

They were trapped.

After a few minutes of frantic squirming, both boys tired and lay still, panting and cursing.

Their tormentor walked towards them, laughing as he went. "You're pathetic you know that?" he scoffed. "Two of the great Lancers, well two halves of one anyway… and you don't even play a single card!"

 _So he did know who they were._

"I'd only need one to take you three out," Yuto growled defiantly, "but being the cowards that you are you'd rather not find that out in a duel now would you?"

Incensed at Yuto's contempt, the man grabbed him by his free arm and hauled him to his feet.

"We could have dueled, but where's the fun in that? Thanks to your boyfriend's solid vision tech we don't need to. In fact, it means I have my hands free for other things, like this."

With his spare hand, he reached inside his jacket and pulled something out.

Yuya recognised it immediately.

It was long and sharp, its blade polished and bright. The serration along its spine gave it away as the one he'd seen previously, its edge curved viciously at the end into a needle-like point.

The knife.

"NO!" Yuya screamed, trying to claw his way over to Yuto. The hound attached to his arm pulled and tugged at his flesh in response, dragging him away so he remained a good distance from its masters.

"He remembers it," the man smirked, gesturing to Yuya before turning back to Yuto, his dull brown eyes now boring holes into Yuto's head.

He didn't so much as flinch.

Snarling in frustration at his lack of fear, he pressed his knife to Yuto's throat, hard enough to draw a lick of blood but not break the skin further.

Yuto winced slightly but was otherwise unfazed.

"You'll fear us again Yuto, I can promise you that."

 _Again?_

Dropping Yuto, he set his eyes on Yuya. "And what better time to start than now," he smirked, strolling towards Yuya and grabbing him by the arm.

Yuto's expression quickly changed. "Leave him alone!" he shouted, again trying to free himself but to no avail.

Having been yanked to his feet, Yuya now felt the cold steel of the man's blade pressed to his cheek.

He was crying softly, but not out of fear. He wasn't afraid to die. All that he could think about in this moment was never seeing Yuto again, and that hurt more than any knife.

"Don't cry," the man cooed mockingly, "it'll only hurt _a lot._ "

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Yuto screamed next to them, tears now streaming down his own face.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" he mocked, taking a second to address Yuto directly. "You have no duel disk, there's three of us, and without that arm you can't fight back. Just face it, you're going to die out here, all alone."

" _Who says they're alone?"_

All heads turned towards the darkness as a soft but commanding voice drifted across the street.

Startled, the man dropped Yuya to the floor and backed off to stand between the other two thugs.

"Who's there?" he demanded, a slight wobble in his voice.

After a moment of silence, footsteps could be heard coming from the direction of the voice. They got closer and closer until…

From the shadows of a concrete ruin, bathed in darkness, emerged a figure.

As he stepped into the light, Yuto and Yuya gasped in astonishment.

It was _Yuri_.

Yuya was so surprised his immediate reaction was to question whether any of this was even real, like the boy in front of him was some kind of mirage. Yuto looked to be doing the same, his eyes blinking furiously as he tried to discern whether this wasn't some kind of weird dream.

He elegantly stepped over the broken ground towards them, dodging the road's small craters and holes with a finesse that only Yuri of all people could possess.

As he neared, the two hunting hounds keeping a hold of Yuto and Yuya released their grip and began to growl menacingly at Yuri.

Without panic, Yuri swiftly activated his duel disk and took a card from his extra deck, placing it calmly onto his field.

Within seconds, a pair of purple, thorny wings were materialising behind him. The hounds whimpered as they triumphantly opened out and spread, revealing the reptilian form underneath that housed them. Stretching its claws and splaying its talons, the beast's neck uncurled, exposing a fierce set of emerald eyes atop the horned head of a dragon.

It raised its head and roared, sending shockwaves across the ruined street and causing the two hounds to retreat behind the three men.

Grinning, Yuri looked down at Yuya and Yuto. "Quite the set of friends you've made," he quipped, helping them both to their feet.

Yuya and Yuto both looked at each other, equally as confused at Yuri's presence.

Before they had a chance to respond to Yuri's sarcasm however, their attention was drawn back to the man and his two thugs.

"This is far from over _traitor_!" he screamed, slamming a card from his extra deck onto his field.

Almost immediately the sound of gears grinding filled the air as a towering monstrosity began to form in front of him. The soldering of metal and the fusing of parts was deafening, but it was nonetheless a sound they'd all heard countless times before. As the hulking mass of metal began to take shape, three elongated necks sprang from its bodywork, each one carrying a head that was lined with a ruthless array of sharp teeth.

Yuya swallowed hard. It had been a while since he'd witnessed the summoning of an Ultimate Ancient Gear Hunting Hound.

"You have a plan for this, right?" Yuto asked, eyeing his own smashed up duel disk. "You're the only one with a monster, and it can't protect us all on its own."

"It doesn't have to," Yuri smirked, putting his finger in the air. "Can you hear that?"

Neither Yuto nor Yuya could hear anything but the beating of Starve Venom's wings.

"Wait, I hear it," Yuya confirmed, turning his body towards the sound. "It's coming from behind us."

It was difficult to detect at first, but as it got closer, as it became more audible, the sound was heard by everyone.

All but Yuri stood facing the direction of the sound, confused as to what it could be.

At a distance it sounded almost guttural, a loud intermittent crackling noise that was all but indiscernible.

As it neared however, it began to take on a somewhat familiar tone, rumbling and resonating through the ground.

"What is that?" Yuto asked blankly.

Yuri turned to him and grinned.

"Backup."

Lights suddenly penetrated the darkness behind them and the rumble they could hear quickly became a roar.

Like a speeding bullet, a familiar white D-Wheel thundered towards them, dodging and weaving in between craters before coming to an abrupt halt beside them.

Pulling off his helmet to reveal a pair of innocent blue eyes and a child-like grin, the driver waved at Yuya and Yuto, who both stood, mouths agape.

"Hey guys!" he shouted obliviously, before his expression turned serious at spotting the bite marks on Yuya and Yuto's arms. "Umm, what did I miss?"

Yuri sighed and palmed his forehead in disbelief. He pointed towards the two monsters squaring off in the middle of the street.

"Oh, right." Yugo quickly activated his D-Wheel's duel disk, before enthusiastically summoning his favourite monster to the field.

The three men across from the four of them watched in horror as a second dragon appeared, this time in the sky above them. Spreading its translucent, crystalline wings, it swooped down and took its place beside Starve Venom, ready to unleash its fury.

The two thugs soon scarpered, leaving the unknown man and his Ultimate Hound at the mercy of the two dragons.

"Get back here!" he screamed after them, his own composure breaking as he took a step back.

"It's time to end this," Yuto told Yuri. Yuya nodded in agreement.

"With pleasure," Yuri smirked, signalling for Yugo to follow his lead. "Starve Venom! Make him pay…"

At Yuri's command his dragon raked its claws through the body of the man's hound, causing it to quickly disappear into a cloud of light.

Yugo's dragon was soon taking to the air. "Clear Wing," he commanded, "show this guy why you don't mess with our friends!"

Rising high into the sky, the dragon began to spin furiously, its wings glowing an iridescent green as it did so. Building its momentum and charging its power, it suddenly changed direction to face the earth. Like a dive bomber that had zeroed in on its target, it jetted towards the helpless man, roaring as it went.

He tried to run, but it was no use. He was hit full force in the stomach by a spinning storm of raw power and extreme energy, sending him hurtling backwards into the crooked frame of the lamppost. His body crumpled as it fell to the floor with the post itself coming down soon after, the bulb finally giving up and plunging them all into near total darkness save for the headlights of Yugo's D-Wheel.

Satisfied, Yuri deactivated his disk, with Yugo following suit.

"It's over," he commented flatly, folding his arms.

Yuya stared at the motionless body that lay in the middle of the street. A well of emotion began to bubble up inside of him at the sight, causing him to tear up slightly. It was a confusing mix of relief and anticipation that had hit him all at once, blurring his vision with tears of both happiness and apprehension.

Not caring how it looked, he grabbed Yuto by the waist and pulled him into a desperate hug, wrapping his arms around him as tight as possible.

Yuto held him close, letting him cry silently into the fabric of his shirt.

Yugo jumped off his duel runner and ran over to Yuri, letting out an audible _aww_ at the pair.

"What do you mean _aww_? It's me who they should be hugging, I was the one who saved them," Yuri said, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"Hey I helped too!" Yugo pointed out. "And don't worry, I'll give you a hug if you want one so bad!"

Before Yuri could protest Yugo had leapt on him, trying his very best to squeeze the life out of his boyfriend.

"Unhand me Yugo!"

Yuto chuckled to himself and looked down at Yuya. He had stopped crying now and was staring back up at him with a weak smile on his face.

Yuto stroked his hair and uttered some further reassurances before gently releasing Yuya from their embrace.

Yuya didn't look too happy about leaving the comfort of Yuto's arms, but he sniffed back the last of his tears and smiled nonetheless.

"Thank you, both of you," he said, turning to Yuri and Yugo who had stopped fighting.

"No problem!" Yugo practically shouted back, with Yuri simply rolling his eyes.

"How did you manage to find us anyway?" Yuto asked, curious.

"Our dragons," Yuri started, "they were calling to us, as if they knew you were in danger. Yugo and I were… well… let's say… _together_ at the time so we decided that I'd go on ahead to check what was happening. Starve Venom led me right here, and once I knew what was going down, I sent a message to Yugo."

"Wow it's lucky that you were here visiting and awake at this time of time of night! What were you guys doing?" Yuya asked.

"Errrmm, we were…"

Yugo grinned at the floor, whilst Yuri put a hand to his face, hiding the pink blush now dusting his cheeks.

Before Yuya or Yuto had a chance to press the matter further, their attention was drawn back towards the now broken lamppost.

A groaning noise was emanating from the body that now lay propped against the stump of metal that remained.

Yuto looked back at Yuya.

"It's time to get some answers," he stated firmly.

Yuya nodded unconvincingly.

Stomping over towards the source of the noise, Yuto could see that the man was barely conscious.

Regardless, he uncaringly grabbed hold of his leg and began dragging him into the light of Yugo's D-Wheel.

Once he was there, the four boys huddled around him.

A large unsightly hole could be seen drilled into his abdomen, where Clear Wing had attacked just minutes earlier. It espoused blood, a steady stream making its way down his side and onto the ground below.

He didn't have long.

"Who are you and who do you work for?" Yuto asked sternly.

There was no response, so he leaned down and ripped the bandana from around his jaw, revealing his face.

It was an ordinary, unassuming face with a youthful complexion. He was no older than twenty-five, and yet he bore the look of a man who was twice that age.

"Either of you know this guy?" Yugo asked Yuya and Yuto.

Both shook their head in confusion.

He was a nobody to them. A random face, a stranger… and yet, he had been the source of their torment for the past three weeks.

Clearly upset at the revelation, Yuto straightened up and kicked out at his body.

Immediately the man began to splutter, coughing blood onto the remains of his jacket. His eyes opened, and he stared up at the four boys.

To their surprise, he grinned through bloodied teeth, mocking them.

Enraged, Yuto bent down and grabbed him by the collar. "Who are you!?" he screamed, shaking him violently.

"A loyal solider," he smirked, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Yuto suddenly pressed his fist into the man's wound, causing him to howl in pain. Yuya instinctively reached forward to try and stop him, but Yuri placed an arm across his chest and shook his head.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" Yuto yelled, applying more pressure.

The man, unable to maintain his bravado under duress, certainly wasn't smiling anymore.

"F-F-Fusion!" he cried out. "Neo-Fusion!"

Yuto immediately stopped and looked up at the other three boys, wide-eyed.

They all stood in silence, taking in what they had just heard.

Yuri wasn't having it. "Neo-Fusion? What are you talking about? The war's over, the Fusion dimension is at peace now."

"It shouldn't be," he bit back. "Academia will never die."

"So what are you?" Yuto demanded menacingly. "Some kind of splinter force?"

The man looked unwilling to answer, but did so when Yuri gave him another hard kick. "We're not just the remnants of Academia," he coughed, "we have people everywhere… people loyal to our cause… and to our new leader."

"Who? Tell me who."

The man started to splutter and laugh again, causing Yuto to try to apply pressure to his wound once again. He was prevented from doing so however by a crying Yuya, who grabbed his arm forcefully.

"Stop! Please!" he cried. "Just please stop…"

Yuto looked away ashamedly. He stood up and brought Yuya into another hug, apologising as he did so. "I'm sorry Yuya, this isn't easy."

Yuya didn't reply. He just sobbed quietly into his shirt once more.

He was tired of the pain, the suffering, the blood. None of this was his style, his way of dealing with things.

Monsters and knives weren't his weapons, smiles and happiness were.

Yuto continued with his slew of apologies, but was quickly interrupted by the choked laughter of the nameless Fusion user.

"This is so much bigger than you all realise," he cackled, reaching into his jacket.

Before any of them could stop him, his body began to fade into a veil of pink particles. He began to disappear, and within seconds, he had completely vanished.

"Where'd he go!?" Yugo cried.

"That was an emergency teleporter, standard issue for Fusion agents," Yuri replied sullenly. "…he really was telling the truth."

They stood in silence, with Yuya still clung to Yuto's chest.

"How can… How can people still be taken in by Akaba's lies?" Yuto was still reeling from the possibility.

"Disillusionment", Yuri offered. "Seeing your world fall apart around you… it makes you impressionable, easy to manipulate… and with this new leader, whoever he is, I'm sure he'll take advantage of that."

Yuri looked into the night sky, a sadness behind his eyes.

"I have a feeling that won't be the last we hear from this 'Neo Fusion'. We really need to tell Reiji about this," Yugo said, placing a hand on Yuri's shoulder.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before exchanging reassuring smiles.

Yuya meanwhile, had slowed his crying enough to speak.

"Yuto?" Yuya whispered up to him, catching his attention. "Promise me something."

"Anything."

Yuya looked a little hesitant. He tightened his grip around him and spoke. "Promise me you won't hurt anyone like that again."

"Yuya… he was an agent of Fusion… he was dangerous… he tried to hurt you."

"I-I don't care," Yuya stammered, "you're not like that, I know you're not."

"I'm not like you Yuya."

"Yes you are!" he cried. "You make people smile, you make _me_ smile… That's what life should be about, not fighting and hurting people…"

"Yuya…"

Yuri and Yugo watched as Yuto took Yuya's hand in his. Clearly moved by his words, his eyes had begun filling with tears, his lips curled into a warm smile.

"…you're right." He leaned forwards and brought their foreheads gently together. "That's what life should be about… and it will be from now on… I promise I won't hurt anyone like that again."

At hearing Yuto's solemn promise to him, Yuya's lips were quick to curve into his signature smile. "Thank you," he whispered, gripping his hand tighter.

He turned to Yugo and Yuri. "And thank you both again… we couldn't have done this without you."

Yugo shook his head. "No need to thank us! Just be sure to call next time!"

"Only if you visit more often," Yuya grinned, "and you too Yuri, we've both missed you."

"You are only human after all," Yuri smirked.

Yugo was quick to elbow him in the ribs for ruining a nice moment. "He means he missed you too."

Yuya and Yuto laughed together as Yuri tried to chase him around his D-Wheel in order to get him back, resulting in Yugo being forced to apologise at the threat of Yuri trashing his bike.

Eventually, Yugo jumped onto his D-Wheel and pulled on his helmet, with Yuri climbing on soon after and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Alright you two," he shouted, turning the ignition and revving the engine, "we'll see you soon, try to stay out of trouble okay?"

"We will," Yuto yelled back. "I'll give Reiji a call too, he needs to know about this."

Yugo nodded and turned the bike around. Yuri gave a regal wave before the pair shot off into the darkness, leaving Yuya and Yuto stood beside the broken lamppost.

Yuya looked at Yuto, and although it was almost pitch-black, he knew he was smiling.

After a moment of silence, Yuya felt Yuto shiver.

"Let's get home," Yuto shuddered, lightly pulling Yuya along in the direction of their flat.

There were no arguments from Yuya as Yuto squeezed his hand tightly and led him down the road.

Although they came here looking for answers, they had ultimately left with more questions.

Who were these new Fusion users?

What did they want with Yuya and Yuto?

Who was their new leader?

Yuya wasn't thinking about any of these questions however. He only had one thing (or person) on his mind. The disturbing truths and renewed uncertainty he now faced would have to wait.

If his brush with death had taught him anything, it was that the unknown was only worth facing if you had the ones you cared about and the one you loved by your side as you did so.

Leaning his head on Yuto's shoulder, he gripped his hand tighter and smiled contently.

Lit only by the faint glow of the moonlight, they walked silently together, hand-in-hand, not knowing what the future might hold.


	8. Checkmate

Chapter 8: Checkmate

" _Daisuke Katagiri_."

Reiji's voice was stern, and his tone menacing.

"His name was Daisuke Katagiri," Reiji explained, "and from what little we have on him, finding him again is very unlikely indeed."

Four blank faces stared up at him, their expressions muted.

"So what you're saying is that all we have is the description we gave you and… that's it?" Yuto's voice was laced with frustration, but his face never so much as hinted at it.

"Unfortunately so, Yuto. All we know is that before the war he was a failed pro-duelist here in Heartland, any other potential information on him went up in flames along with the rest of the city's archive during the war."

Reiji circled the room, pacing slowly around the rectangular table that stood at its centre, the four boys sat at each end following his every move.

They had been waiting for over an hour to finally meet with him to discuss the previous night's events, yet they showed no outward signs of contempt towards him. Even Yuri seemed to be on his best behaviour.

"What about this group, this Neo-Fusion… surely you know something of them?" he asked, leaning forwards in his chair expectantly.

Reiji hesitated for a moment, before continuing to pace.

The lone bulb that lit the room hung limply from its fixture above them, casting his animated shadow on the drab, grey walls behind him.

"…Nothing." He stopped and leaned against the backwall, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "However, I assure you I have people looking into the matter."

An awkward silence quickly descended upon the room, leaving only the whir of the aircon audible in the background.

Yuya fidgeted in his chair, unsure of how to react to the (lack of) news. Reiji was always a little awkward around the four of them, and he wasn't exactly the most forthcoming when it came to information.

Looking around the table, Yuya could identify with the sentiments being expressed by each of his counterparts.

Yuto wore a look of disappointment and contemplation, his brow furrowed and his arms crossed as he tried to think of their next move.

Yuri's expression was much fiercer. He was now staring daggers back at Reiji, as if it was his fault they knew next to nothing about the coming threat.

Yugo on the other hand was struggling to keep his eyes open. His mouth was parted in a small yawn, his arm supporting his weight as he leaned his head lazily into his hand.

Yuya sat back and looked up at Reiji.

"So what now?" he asked, the combination of their frustration, anger and fatigue getting the better of him.

Reiji drew a deep breath and pushed off the wall. "I want to debrief each of you individually," he explained, heading towards the door. "You can stay here whilst I talk to each of you, my office is just down the hall."

A collective sigh rang out around the table, with the thought of spending another minute in the Leo Corporation's Xyz HQ too much to bear. It wouldn't have been so bad if they'd have been told to wait in one of the executive waiting areas they'd seen on the way down here, but instead they had been led into what looked to be a repurposed interrogation room. Yuya understood the need for privacy, especially when it came to the matter at hand, but this felt a little extreme.

"Yuto, you're first." Reiji opened the door and beckoned Yuto outside.

Yuto nodded and rose from his seat at the far end of the table. Yuya offered him a smile as he placed his chair neatly under the table, which he reciprocated, his expression immediately softening at the sight.

As he walked by to join Reiji in the corridor, he trailed a hand along Yuya's shoulders, his fingers gently caressing his neck and shoulder blades. He left him with a slight squeeze at the top of his arm, smiling as he did so, until he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him.

Yuya was left a little red faced as his Synchro and Fusion counterparts both grinned back at him from across the table.

"So, when are you going to tell him?" Yuri smirked, sitting back and placing his hands in his lap knowingly.

"Tell him what?" Yuya responded, trying his best to pretend that he didn't know _exactly_ what Yuri was talking about.

"You don't have to pretend with _me_ Yuya dear, I can see what's going on." Yuri leaned forwards and folded his arms on the table, cocking his head to the side and grinning.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Yuya could feel the tops of his ears burning as Yuri chuckled to himself at his response. He was a terrible liar, and it wasn't helped by the fact his body was betraying him too, the light dusting of pink spread across his cheeks easily giving him away.

"Yuya come on man, it's pretty obvious you like him," Yugo interjected, spotting how flustered he'd gotten.

Yuya shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Should he deny it? Nobody other than Yuto even knew he was gay, so he must be making it pretty obvious for Yuri, and even Yugo of all people, to pick up on it.

"He's… he's a good friend."

Yuya's attempted denial was spectacularly unconvincing, so much so that both Yuri and Yugo were shaking their heads at him in disbelief.

"He's more than that," Yuri smirked, sitting back and twirling some violet locks behind his ear. "I've seen the way you look at him… and the way he looks at you."

"I-I'm not sure what you mean."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "He has you swooning every time he smiles at you," he mocked, a little to Yugo's dismay.

"He does not!" Yuya protested, his face getting even redder.

Yugo shot Yuri a disapproving look before turning back towards Yuya. "What Yuri's trying to say is that it's okay if you, _you know_ , like him in that way."

Ready to deny it once more, Yuya opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he felt a deep sense of shame pool in his stomach, causing his lips to seal shut and his gaze to find the floor.

These were meant to be his closet friends, they were part of him, and he was part of them, so why would he continue lying to them? It was obvious how he felt about Yuto, so why not come clean and admit it?

"Yuya?" Yugo's voice was filled with concern.

"Okay, okay…" Yuya remained staring at the floor, unable to look either of them in the eye.

"…I do like him."

Yugo almost squealed in happiness, taking Yuya by surprise. "I knew it! I knew it!" he shrieked. "You two are going to be so perfect together!"

Yuya couldn't help but laugh at Yugo's enthusiasm, and even Yuri had a smile tugging at his lips. It was a heart-warming reaction that made discussing his feelings now seem a whole lot easier, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Do you think he likes me?" Yuya dared to question, the overwhelming need for another human being's take on the matter driving him to be so bold.

"Hell yeah," Yugo answered with a wink, which made Yuya almost explode inside with happiness. "He obviously cares about you a lot, you could see that last night!"

Yuya looked to Yuri for his answer, who simply rolled his eyes once more and smirked. "Well you two did share a body, maybe he liked what he saw."

Yuya's face bloomed a candy red. "Wh-What do you mean?"

Yuri's devilish smirk had somehow become even more pronounced, his grin reaching ear-to-ear. "Well put it this way, I'm sure he checked out a lot more than just your deck while he was in there."

Yuya suddenly felt a heat creeping its way up his neck.

He'd never thought about that before.

Yuya didn't say anything in response, choosing instead to look at the floor again to hide his embarrassment (and intrigue). Yuri however took this as an invitation to continue with his teasing.

"No wonder he wants to take a swing on your pendulum," he laughed, rocking back in his chair at the hilarity of it all.

"Yuriiii, don't be like that," Yugo half-chided and half-pleaded.

Giving into Yugo's tone and puppy-dog eyes, Yuri crossed his arms and pouted. "Fine, but the question still remains…" He turned to Yuya. "When are you going to tell him?"

" _Tell who what?_ "

A voice rang out from the doorway, the door completely ajar. Stood leaning against its frame was Yuto, an inquisitive look etched onto his face.

Yuya and Yugo broke out into a sudden bout of 'ums' and 'ahs', desperate to think of something to cover their tracks.

Yuri just sat laughing to himself quietly, loving the fact that he was the cause of their awkward suffering.

"Umm it was… erm, I need to tell Reiji something about… something," came Yugo's eventual response, much to the amusement of Yuri who was almost in hysterics.

"Okay?" Yuto answered, looking at the three of them with suspicion. "Anyway you're up now Yugo, so… you go do that I guess?"

"Yep, sure will," he squeaked, almost leaping from his chair and darting past Yuto into the hallway.

"That was weird." Yuto closed the door and took his seat, still eyeing Yuya and Yuri with suspicion.

Yuya cleared his throat and tried to avoid Yuto's gaze, which only seemed to garner him more attention from the boy.

"Are you alright Yuya?" he asked concernedly, presumably spotting how red he was.

"Yeah… Just a headache."

Yuto sighed, either out of concern for his wellbeing or disappointment in his obvious attempt at a lie. Regardless, he let it slide, not wanting to push the issue further.

"So…" He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. "What were you guys talking about? Whatever it was it had to have been better than that meeting with Reiji."

Yuri opened his mouth to speak, but Yuya beat him to it, desperate to avoid him spilling his secret. "We were talking about what Yuri and Yugo got up to last night before they found us," he blurted out.

Incensed, Yuri tried to kick him under the table, but missed and ended up almost falling off of his chair.

"Ahh, so what did they get up to?" Yuto asked before Yuri had a chance to object.

"They were-"

"We were playing chess!" Yuri interrupted, his eyes wide and his cheeks a light shade of pink.

"At almost midnight?" Yuto was not convinced.

"Yes…"

"So who won?" Yuto crossed his arms and leaned forwards, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. Yuya was holding back a smile too seeing how the tables had been turned on Yuri.

"I did, who do you think?" Yuri shot back angrily, his face getting redder by the second.

"Okay… how did you win?"

"I… I umm." Yuri had become uncharacteristically flustered, giving Yuto even more encouragement to tease him.

"Let me guess," Yuto began, placing his hands behind his head and grinning. "You exposed Yugo's queen to an attack from the rear and eased in there with a few of your pawns."

Yuya burst into a fit of laughter, whilst Yuri stood up enraged, his chair hitting the floor as he did so.

"No that wasn't what happened!" He slammed his fist on the table, causing Yuya to laugh harder.

"Ohhh I get it, I get it… you couldn't take _his_ king from behind, so you went for a different position."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Before Yuri could leap across the table and strangle Yuto, Yuya thought he'd intervene.

"Calm down Yuri, he's only messing with you, we both think you and Yugo are a really sweet couple," he assured him, hoping this wouldn't descend into an innuendo induced brawl.

Thankfully that seemed to calm Yuri down slightly, as he retreated back to his side of the table. He remained standing however, preferring to face the wall.

"One more word about what Yugo and I may or may not have been doing last night and I swear neither of you will leave this room alive."

Yuto grinned at Yuya and held up his hands as if to say he was done.

"Anyway that wasn't what we were talking about." He pivoted on the spot to address Yuto. "We were talking about how Yuya wants to-"

The sound of the door opening cut Yuri off as Yugo came bounding in.

"That was quick," Yuto observed, ignoring Yuri who was still trying to finish what he was saying.

"Yeah I wasn't there long at all!" He stood behind his chair and gestured towards Yuri. "You're up next though Yuri!"

Regaining his composure, Yuri sauntered over to the door, but not before grabbing Yugo by the arm.

"Deny everything Yugo," he said, shooting Yuto and Yuya a scowl each as he did so.

The pair chuckled at each other, leaving poor Yugo with a terribly confused look on his face. At the sound of the door slamming behind him, Yugo took his seat at the table.

"What did he mean by that?"

"Nothing nothing," Yuto assured him with a playful smile. "We were just talking about how great you two are together."

Yugo scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Aww shucks… you really think so?"

"Of course, you're perfect for each other." Yuya breathed a sigh of relief knowing his secret was safe for now.

Yugo placed a hand on his heart. "Yuri can be a handful at times, but I think he's just misunderstood, he has been all his life… he has a good heart really, and I love him for it."

Yuya and Yuto smiled warmly at one another, compelled to do so by the weight and emotion behind Yugo's words.

"How did you first know you loved him?" Yuya asked, turning back to Yugo. He was keen to know more about their relationship, but most importantly, he was curious to know whether what he felt for Yuto was in fact love.

"Well it's hard to say, but it was just sort of something I could feel inside if that makes sense… I get a feeling in my chest whenever he's around, and when he's not it's as if I'm missing something inside, and it hurts." Yugo stared off at the ceiling longingly. "When someone means so much to you that you can't bear to be without them, and you'd do anything to make them happy, then I think that's when you know you're in love."

Yuya glanced at Yuto instinctively.

He could a feel a weight in his chest, a fluttering in his stomach, a desire and a _need_ to keep this boy close and never let him go. He knew that, in this moment, what he felt for Yuto wasn't some silly crush or the product of their once joined souls, it was love.

He loved him for who he was and what he was to him, the boy who would never stop caring and never stop protecting him. He was everything to him…

The door suddenly swung open and an annoyed looking Yuri ambled in, mumbling something about how pointless and stupid a two-minute meeting was.

"Why could he not just tell us this shit all together?" he exclaimed, taking his seat at the table. "Urgh, he wants to see you now Yuya."

But Yuya wasn't listening. He was deep in thought, thinking hard about his whole situation. He loved Yuto, that was for certain, but did Yuto love him back?

"Yuya!"

Yuya quickly snapped back to reality thanks to the sharpness of Yuri's voice.

"Okay… I heard you." He got up slowly and tucked his chair under the table. Walking past Yuto, he tried to avoid his penetrating steel gaze, but instead found himself looking directly into his eyes. He blinked hard and stepped past him, noticing that his familiar look of concern had reappeared on his face.

He grabbed the door handle and swung the door shut as he stepped out into a pristine white corridor. He took a deep breath and made his way down the hallway, stopping when he came to the door marked 'CEO'.

Opening it without hesitation, he stepped into a large office, thankful to be out of the room he'd spent most of the morning in.

Reiji was sat comfortably behind an oversized desk, his hands clasped firmly in front of him.

"Take a seat Yuya," he said sternly, gesturing to the chairs in front of him.

Yuya did so reluctantly. He had been sat down for quite some time already and he'd only just had chance to stretch his legs.

"Alright, so as we have already established," Reiji explained, "we know next to nothing about your mystery group. From what you've told me all we can say for sure is that they're what's left of Academia, Fusion users loyal to Leo Akaba scattered across the dimensions."

Yuya nodded.

"We can also deduce that with your attacker being of this dimension, they're recruiting, and they're doing it rather well. Their leader must be someone of great charm, and even greater intellect to keep this hidden from me."

"Why go after Yuto and I now though?" Yuya interrupted.

"It's unlikely you were attacked on the orders of their leader," Reiji declared, rising to his feet and beginning to pace around the room. "It must have been a chance encounter for him to find you at first, he must have recognised you and tried to take the opportunity presented to him. Their leader would never order such a strike, there's no way they currently have the strength to commit to such a bold move."

"…and if they do?"

"Then this is worse than we could have ever imagined." He stopped pacing and sat back down, hands folded on the desk in front of him. "Until we find out how big this is and how strong this Neo-Fusion are, you mustn't speak of this to anyone besides myself and the other three, not even Yuzu or Gongenzaka."

"Wait, what…? Why?" Yuya protested.

"You'll only be putting them in danger…"

"But-"

"I'm sorry Yuya but it's for their own safety."

"Okay…" he breathed resignedly.

"Good." Reiji crossed his arms, happy with Yuya's answer. "What you can do however, is find someone for me, and find out if they know anything about this Neo-Fusion. Who they are, where they came from, why they're here, anything."

Yuya perked up a bit knowing they had some kind of action plan, even if it did seem rather vague at this point. "Okay, who is it?"

Reiji pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose.

"Sora Shiun'in."

Notes:

Hey Reader!

This chapter was a while in the making, mostly because I went and updated Bittersweet Heat, but also because I've been having a shitty time recently...

Anyway, I'm on Twitter now! So by all means come follow me! My username is CKnight291543  
I post updates and stuff about my fics, but also it's great to talk to people within the fandom, everyone is so awesome!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! (Picking someone to be Yuya and Yuto's attacker wasn't easy btw, in the end I chose Daisuke because I saw that he appeared in a sort of cameo, and I really wanted a super minor character to play him so... hope it isn't too bad a choice!)

-CounterKnight291543


	9. Carnival Confessions

Chapter 9: Carnival Confessions

Yuya stood nervously shuffling his feet, his hands sweaty and shaking at his sides.

Today was the day.

The day he was finally going to confess his feelings to Yuto. Everything else would just have to wait.

He took a deep breath and leaned back against the railing behind him, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he did so.

He'd decided that, after a week of contemplation, it was time to tell him how he felt. It was too much to keep to himself anymore.

Burdened by the weight of his feelings, he could barely look Yuto in the eye at the moment. Living together made it worse. He saw and interacted with him every single day and… it was beginning to hurt. His body physically ached for more, the feeling in his chest growing ever heavier. Every night for the past week since the meeting with Reiji, he'd cried and screamed into his pillow, letting his frustration and need spill out in a flood of tears.

Expressing his emotions had never been a problem in the past, hell he was an entertainer it's what he did best, but when it came to Yuto, to _love_ , it was so much more complicated. He had wanted nothing more than to tell him, but with the stresses of the last month it had been almost impossible to find the right time.

Whenever there was an appropriate time, say when him and Yuto were alone in the flat, the thought of Yuto outright rejecting him was ever-present in the back of his mind, and so too was the possibility that his confession could result in the breakdown of their friendship. It had prevented him from wanting to express his feelings, so he bottled them up, preferring instead to remain in a state of uncertainty and regret.

This however, had all changed not twenty-four hours ago. Yugo had, unbeknownst to Yuri, sent Yuya a screenshot of some messages that Yuri had sent him the last time he had returned to the Fusion dimension:

 _Yuri: Yugo?_

 _Clearwing0nabike: yeh?_

 _Yuri: I fucking miss you already._

 _Clearwing0nabike: aww i miss you 2 babe_

 _Yuri: Don't call me that._

 _Clearwing0nabike: only in public ;)_

 _Yuri: Look, I'm trying to be serious._

 _Clearwing0nabike: ok ok_

 _Yuri: I'm thinking of moving to the Xyz dimension._

 _Clearwing0nabike: WHAT REALLY? WHY?_

 _Yuri: Isn't it obvious?_

 _Clearwing0nabike: cos you miss me?_

 _Yuri: Because I love you._

Such a short but heartfelt exchange had had the desired effect on Yuya. He knew that Yuri loved Yugo, but seeing him proclaim such a thing (even if it was just a message) had shocked him. Even Yuri, who appeared in person to be uncaring, flippant and often somewhat heartless (he knew it was an act all along), had the capacity to express his innermost feelings.

Yuya wanted what Yugo and Yuri had, and that was only going to become a reality if he let his feelings for Yuto be known.

And so, having convinced himself that this was something he had to do, he had come up with an (almost) perfect plan to tell him how he felt, and it all involved the sea of colour that lay just beyond the railing behind him.

Turning around slowly, he set his hands down on the freezing cold railing behind him. He gazed up at the sight before him: The Neo Heartland City Carnival.

Flashing neon lights blinked and flickered back at him. Bright reds, oranges and greens wheeled across his vision and blurred as he tried to take it all in at once, the dazzling beams and flashes of light causing him to blink excessively.

Yuya loved carnivals. He loved fairs, circuses and just about anything that involved entertaining people. But today he was here for a different reason. He knew where his plan was going to take him, but first they'd have to try some of the other things that were there so it didn't look too pre-planned.

He squinted and tried to focus on the attractions individually, in order to get a sense of what Yuto might enjoy here.

On the far right of the carnival lay a host of amusement park rides. Enormous rollercoasters towered over this part of the carnival, the intensity of their colours matched only by the intensity of the noise coming from the poor souls riding them. Their tracks were set in winding circuits around the park with twists and turns abound, loop de loops curving ominously upwards into the sky at small intervals.

Yuya nearly threw up just looking at them. He hated them.

Well… he didn't hate them, he'd just never tried them. He wasn't scared, he was just…

…okay he was scared but he'd never admit that to anyone.

He averted his eyes and looked elsewhere, confident that Yuto wouldn't be into rollercoasters. He wasn't really the thrill-seeking type, was he?

Over on the left of the carnival was a huge area dedicated to traditional fairground games and rides. Closest to the gate, this would be the easiest to drag Yuto into.

From what Yuya could see from his current position outside of the carnival, there was a lot taking place there. There was face-painting (maybe it would be easier confessing his feelings to a tiger), hook-a-ducks, darts and bottle games, teacups, tonnes of food stalls, and even a small petting zoo. That's more like it.

Satisfied, Yuya's eyes wondered to the centre of the carnival and fell upon his secret weapon for making his confession super special: The Ferris wheel. Rising up high off the ground, it was spinning slowly in the cold night air with a grace and majesty that had Yuya awestruck. Its rim shone a neon blue as it rotated, the patterns it was creating leaving swirls of light dancing in his eyes. He'd heard about it from Yugo and he'd seen it on his way here, but now being this close to it he knew that it was going to make the moment he confessed a memorable one.

Oblivious to everything going on around him, he didn't notice the hand on his shoulder until a voice called out to him.

"Yuya! Helloooooo!"

It was Yuto!

He span around quickly and apologised, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry Yuto, I was a little out of it there."

Looking up, he saw that Yuto was beaming back at him.

He was wearing his usual getup of a green formal shirt and tie, complete with dark navy pants. He wore the same jacket he had on at their confrontation with Daisuke and Neo-Fusion, its arm a little torn and the back blowing behind him like a cape. His hair was perfect as per usual, and his delicately chiselled features looked even more defined today, making him look even more handsome than usual (in Yuya's head).

"You urgh… you look good," Yuya observed sheepishly, pushing off the railing behind him.

"It's just my usual clothes… but hey thanks," Yuto chuckled. "You look nice too."

Yuya knew that couldn't have been true. He was wearing his normal gear too, but he didn't wear his look anywhere near as well as Yuto did. His face was a little red due to the cold too, and his hair was all over the place having been stood there in the wind for a good five minutes.

He blushed anyway at the compliment.

"Shall we get our tickets then?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, good idea." Yuto led the way to the front entrance, following the path set by the railings on either side of them. They eventually reached the queue to get in, stopping behind a small line of people. "I'm so glad you wanted to come here you know, you're going to love it, it's so awesome," Yuto grinned, an excited look on his face.

"You're really excited aren't you?" Yuya observed, intrigued by his enthusiasm.

"Hell yeah, it's been forever since I've been here, I had no idea that they'd even rebuilt it till you invited me along."

"When was the last time you came?"

"Hmm." Yuto looked lost in thought. "I don't remember exactly, but Shun and I used to come here all the time."

Yuya felt a sudden spike of jealousy.

They moved forwards in the line, getting closer to the ticket booth.

"You two must have been really close before the war." Yuya forced himself to smile despite the feeling of jealousy not really dissipating.

"Yeah I guess we were." Yuto smiled wistfully.

They moved forwards another place, only a couple of people now standing between them and the carnival.

Yuto let out a laugh. "You know, it's silly but I used to have a bit of a crush on him."

Yuya's heart sank immediately. He couldn't even formulate a reply. He stood blinking back at a confused looking Yuto, tears almost pricking at the corners of his eyes.

There was a moment of silence between them before Yuto spoke again, picking up on Yuya's lack of a response. "It was a long long time ago though, I don't see him that way anymore."

Somehow that didn't make Yuya feel better. He slumped against the railing and looked away from Yuto, preferring instead to stare into the night sky.

He knew he was being childish and petty, but the revelation made Yuya sad nonetheless.

Yuto came and stood beside him, putting his hand on his shoulder as he did so.

"He's a good friend and I care about him," he explained, "but he isn't the one who has my heart."

Yuya's eyes widened. He turned to look at Yuto who was a lot closer to him than he'd anticipated, their faces almost touching.

Before Yuya could ask any further questions, there was a call for them to approach the booth for their tickets.

Yuto flashed him a quick smile. "Don't worry I've got this." He strolled over to the booth, leaving Yuya stood against the railing, confused and curious, but also a little worried.

What did he mean by _the one who has my heart_?

Could that person… be him? Or was it someone else he didn't know about?

Yuto paid the man and handed Yuya a ticket and a purple wristband before making his way through a turnstile and into the carnival.

Yuya soon followed, a little confused at the band that he had quickly slid onto his forearm.

"What's this for?" he asked, flashing him his wrist.

"Priority entrance," Yuto explained.

"Wait." Yuya stopped dead in his tracks. "For what?"

Yuto raised an eyebrow and grinned back at him.

"The rollercoasters!"

The colour drained from Yuya's face as Yuto grabbed him by the wrist and started to drag him towards the rollercoaster closest to the gate.

It happened to be the biggest there, with a huge incline at its beginning that preceded an enormous drop, followed by a number of loop de loops, each taller than the last.

"Yuto I don't think-"

"This is going to be so much fun!"

Yuto was completely oblivious to Yuya's protests as he led him to the front of a sizeable queue, stopping only once they'd reached the gate. Thankfully there was no car immediately available to them, so Yuya shook Yuto off of him and began to protest.

"Can we not go for something a little smaller?" he pleaded. "And safer?"

"What? No way! We have to ride this bad boy first, it's so awesome! Honestly I went on it like a hundred times back in the day, they've rebuilt it exactly the way it was too. You're gonna' love it!" Yuto's eyes were glinting with excitement, his smile only growing wider as he watched the cars whizz around the track at top speed.

"But I'm-"

"You're not scared, are you?"

Yuya's eye twitched and he gritted his teeth. Pasting a smile on his lips, he shook his head.

In truth, he was terrified, but he wasn't about to disappoint Yuto by making him ride alone.

"I knew it! I always knew you were a thrill seeker like me!" Yuto slapped him on the back almost knocking him over.

Yuya continued to smile until a car came screeching down the track and stopped abruptly at the gate.

They were both soon ushered on, with Yuto again physically dragging Yuya to the very front car.

Yuya hesitantly pulled the seatbelt down over him and allowed himself to be fastened in by the attendant. He looked over at Yuto who was grinning wildly, enjoying the anticipation of it all.

With a sudden jolt they soon began to climb the colossal slope to the top. Yuya's stomach was already doing summersaults by the time they were a quarter of the way there. By halfway, dread and consternation were beginning to take over.

"Yuto," he panted between breaths, "I was lying when I said I wasn't scared."

Yuto looked at him concernedly.

All of Yuya's confidence had been left on the ground a hundred feet below them, sheer panic now taking over.

"I'm really fucking scared right now."

Yuto's hand was on Yuya's in an instant, their palms forcefully pressing together as Yuto interlocked their fingers and gripped as tightly as he could.

Yuya responded with a white-knuckle grip of his own. "I should have told you," he whimpered, "I've never actually been on a rollercoaster before."

The alarm in Yuto's expression was obvious, but he tried to smile nonetheless in an attempt to keep Yuya as calm as possible. "It's okay, you're going to be fine."

The car slowed as they reached the top, a small jolt pushing them onto the summit of the sloping track. A few more metres and they would be taking the plunge off the edge, vertically downwards.

"Just close your eyes," Yuto advised, squeezing his hand tightly. "It'll be over in a flash, don't worry."

Yuya nodded and shut his eyes as tightly as possible.

He felt them inching closer and closer, until…

Yuya screamed as he felt his body jar forwards, his head whipped back against the seat as they hurtled down the track. It was as if they had fallen off the world itself, his stomach having been left behind at the top of the slope.

They were freefalling and weightless, careering down the track at light speed. Yuya was screaming uncontrollably as it finally levelled out, and he wasn't planning on stopping any time soon.

Rounding a corner, they approached the first loop de loop. Through his hysterics, Yuya felt Yuto squeeze his hand a little tighter as he braced for the inevitable.

The car began to shudder and screech as it pulled itself up the loop, slowing down painfully as it peaked. Yuya felt the same sinking feeling he had experienced moments ago as they plummeted downwards again, picking up speed and heading straight for the next loop.

It was nearly over, he thought to himself as his white-knuckle grip on Yuto's hand tightened.

After another two loops, the track rounded another couple of bends before the car screeched to a halt once again.

Yuya finally opened his eyes.

They had come full circle and were now sat in an empty car at the beginning of ride. He shakily turned to Yuto, who looked as windswept as he was exhilarated.

Yuto pulled back his seatbelt and hopped out of the car. He then set about helping a dazed Yuya out as well.

"Pheww that was amazing!" Yuto shouted, grabbing Yuya and leading him out through the gate.

He felt physically sick and extremely dizzy, but Yuto didn't seem to notice.

"Yuto… I think I'm going to be sick," Yuya warned, his face paling and his legs almost giving way.

Yuto put a hand on his shoulder and led him to a bench where he sat him down. He perched next to him and gave his shoulder a slight squeeze.

"Yuya you should have told me," he sighed, disappointment filling his voice. "I would never have made you get on that thing if I'd have known you didn't like them."

Yuya just shook his head.

"You've got some balls though," he smirked, shaking him slightly. "Not many people have the guts to get on that monster, especially right at the front too."

Yuya could at least take pride in that. He lifted his head slightly, his vision still a little blurry. "I couldn't let you ride alone," he whispered, offering him a weak smile.

Yuto beamed back at him. "I've only ever ridden alone before, so that really meant a lot to me."

"What not even with Shun?" Yuya's brow furrowed in confusion.

"He was always too scared, so I always ended up flying solo."

Yuya couldn't help but smirk. He felt a sense of pride well up inside of him.

"I'm going to go get you some water, you still look a bit pale. Stay here." Yuto ran off towards the food and drink stalls, leaving Yuya smiling at the floor.

He did still feel sick to his stomach, but at least he had shown Yuto how brave and thoughtful he could be.

As he sat there groaning, he felt a buzz vibrate in his pocket. Pulling his phone out, he noticed that it was a notification. He opened his messenger app to see who had decided to bother him at the worst possible time.

It turned out to be Yugo, who had set up a group chat that included him, Yuri and Yuya, but not Yuto.

 _Clearwing0nabike: have u told him yet?_

Yuya sighed and quickly typed a reply.

 _Hippesthippo: No, I'm working on it though_

Yugo replied almost immediately, and from the looks of things, Yuri was about to pile in with a response too.

 _Clearwing0nabike: all u need to do is tell him!_

 _Yuri: Are we still on this? I thought he'd told him already._

 _Clearwing0nabike: its complicated_

 _Yuri: Get on with it already, you're practically married anyway._

 _Clearwing0nabike: aww i can imagine that 3 yuya where are u?_

 _Hippesthippo: At the carnival with Yuto, and Yuri I hate you_

 _Clearwing0nabike: cute! so romantic_

 _Yuri: You love me really._

 _Clearwing0nabike: i do!_

 _Yuri: Urgh, your usernames are ridiculous._

 _Clearwing0nabike set Yuri's nickname to Cabbagelovesbanana._

 _Cabbagelovesbanana: What the fuck have you done? How do I change this thing?_

At that, Yuya locked his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. There was only so much he could handle.

Thankfully, Yuto was on his way back with a cup of something.

"They only had lemonade sadly," he complained, handing it to Yuya who started to sip on it slowly. "Do you think you'll be okay? Or do you want to head home?"

"No no I'm good." Yuya took a big gulp and stood up, swaying on his feet a little. "As long as we stay off the rollercoasters."

Yuto nodded and rose to his feet. He smiled and lay a hand on Yuya's shoulder. "I still feel really guilty about this. How can I make it up to you?"

Yuya's eyes had readjusted now and he could see the sincerity etched into Yuto's face.

"Hmmm, I know! You can win me a prize from one of those games," he proclaimed, pointing across the way.

Yuto's eyes lit up. "You're on!"

They wandered slowly to the next area with all the fairground games, stopping every now and again for Yuya to catch his breath and lean on Yuto's shoulder.

Once they arrived, Yuya was taken aback by the sheer amount of games available to them. They strolled around each one, with Yuya looking for a prize worthy enough to take home with him. Eventually he found one.

"Yuto!" Yuya called. "I want this one! Win me this one!" He was pointing to a large green dragon plushie hanging from the ceiling of the tent beside him. It was about the length of his arm, with huge blue and black eyes that almost covered its entire head.

Yuto approached the tent and inquired about the dragon. After handing him some money, the man behind the counter gave him three darts and explained the rules to him.

Yuya waited till he was done talking before asking Yuto what he was going to have to do.

"For the dragon, I'd have to hit three of those red balloons there," he explained, pointing at the wall of colour behind him. It was filled with balloons that came in a multitude of different colours, but from what Yuya could see there was barely any red.

"But there's only like three red ones on there," he observed, "and you've only got… three darts!?"

Yuto twirled the three between his fingers.

Yuya huffed slightly and pouted. "This is going to be impossible. You'd have to be a pro to hit three out of three. Have you ever played before?"

Yuto shook his head and nonchalantly took aim.

Yuya continued to pout. "Hmm, I know who would be good at this… Shingo, he's a darts player right?"

Yuto's relaxed expression suddenly changed to one of fierce determination. He glanced at Yuya, a frown spreading across his face.

Was that… jealousy?

In a flash Yuto took a dart from the palm of his hand and launched it at the nearest red balloon, piercing it with a satisfying 'pop'.

Yuya was left speechless as Yuto did the same thing again with the other two darts, popping the other red balloons in quick succession.

"Winner!" the man by the balloons shouted, handing Yuto his prize.

"Yuto… that was amazing!"

Yuto gave him his prize, his smile returning. "Meh it wasn't too hard."

"I thought you'd never played before?"

"I haven't."

Yuya cuddled his dragon and beamed at Yuto.

"You're the best! Shingo's got nothing on you!"

A slight hint of a blush spread over Yuto's cheeks as he laughed the comment off.

"So, what do you fancy next?" he asked, regaining his composure.

"THE PETTING ZOO!" Yuya nearly exploded as he spotted the rabbit hutches and animal pens just a little further away from where they stood.

Sprinting over, he pulled Yuto along with him till they were bending down next to a large hutch filled with little white rabbits.

"ARGHHH THEY'RE SO CUTE!" Yuya put his fingers through the wire of the pen in a vain attempt to get closer.

Yuto noticed and asked the attendant if they could pet one. Yuya almost screamed with happiness when the man agreed and plopped one right into his lap.

"YUTO I CAN'T IT'S JUST THE CUTEST!"

He stroked and nuzzled at its fur with his fingers, causing Yuto to let out an audible _aww_ as it appeared to fall asleep under his touch.

After a good ten minutes of cuddling with the bunny, Yuya reluctantly handed him back. He was quick to move onto the next pen though, where he found himself stroking a bunch of guinea pigs. The man in charge of them handed him a bag of pellets to feed them with, which of course had Yuya squealing with glee.

"Yuto come feed one of these little guys," Yuya said enthusiastically, opening the bag and offering him a handful of pellets.

"Umm no thanks, I'll leave this up to you."

He smiled sheepishly.

Yuya began feeding the guinea pigs, watching happily as the little balls of fur gratefully ploughed through their food.

…And then it dawned on him.

"Yuto, you're not scared of guinea pigs, are you?" he asked, spinning around to face him.

"W-What… no no, of course I'm not." Yuto had become visibly flustered and had taken a step back.

"Hey it's okay if you are, but they won't hurt you! They're just a little hungry that's all!"

Yuto frowned but hesitantly came and sat beside him. Yuya gave him a pellet and instructed him to hold his palm out flat.

He did so, but his hand was quite obviously shaking, and he'd screwed his eyes firmly shut.

Yuya couldn't help but laugh as one of the guinea pigs plucked the food from his hand, causing him to yelp and recoil his hand in fear.

"He nearly bit me!"

"He was just being friendly!"

The two rose to their feet as a throng of people arrived and the guinea pigs retreated back into their cages.

"I'm starving," Yuto complained, "can we get some cotton candy?"

"Hell yeah!"

Yuya was in a much better mood now, which was a miracle considering what he'd been through with the rollercoaster. More importantly though, his plan was on track.

As they strolled towards a stand serving cotton candy, something caught Yuya's eye. It was a smaller area with some picnic tables that had a lot of smaller children surrounding it. He'd seen it from the entrance and he knew exactly what the girls sitting by the tables with their paintbrushes were up to.

"Yuto!"

"Huh?"

"Before we get the cotton candy, will you please do something for me?"

"Um sure, what is it?"

"Will you please get your face painted for me?" Yuya pointed at the painting station.

Yuto looked at him wide-eyed, his face already tinging a shade of pink.

"But… but we're like way too old for that, right?"

"No way! You're never too old to become a tiger!"

"You… want me to be a tiger?"

Yuya looked away in embarrassment. When he'd imagined it in his head, he'd only ever imagined Yuto as a tiger.

"Well you can be any animal I guess, but I think you should do it!"

Yuto still looked unconvinced.

"For me… please?" Yuya did his best puppy-dog eyes in the hope that Yuto would come around.

It worked, and Yuto relented with a sigh. "Okay I'll do it."

"That's the spirit!"

It was Yuya's turn to physically drag Yuto around now, and he did so right up to the bench where a girl was finishing up painting.

Once she had finished with the kid she was working on, she turned to Yuya and smiled warmly.

"So what can I do for you?" she asked politely.

"Actually, it's for him." Yuya beckoned Yuto over who was hovering behind him. His cheeks reddened as he took a seat on the bench.

"Anything particular in mind?"

Yuto couldn't look her in the eye. "A tiger," he mumbled quietly.

"Great! I can do that, just tilt your head up a bit and stay still."

Yuto did as he was told and Yuya watched on as the girl got to work painting his delicate features.

"He's making you do this, isn't he?" the girl asked with a smirk, brushing at his cheeks with a small fine brush.

Yuto rolled his eyes. "Yep," he replied, trying not to move his mouth too much as not to disturb the process.

The girl simply smiled at Yuya, before turning back to Yuto.

"Boyfriends ey, the things they make you do…"

Yuto's face immediately flushed a crimson red and he couldn't help but just close his eyes. Yuya didn't have the luxury of sitting still and closing his eyes, so he just stood awkwardly, red-faced, leaning against the table.

"Err we're not… we're not actually dating," Yuya offered, trying to avoid any further embarrassment.

He really didn't want to deny it, but what would Yuto think if didn't?

"You should be, you guys make a cute couple."

Yuya couldn't help but smile at the remark, despite his face feeling like it was on fire. Poor Yuto was having to just sit there and take it, not moving or speaking, this had to be killing him!

They sat in silence for the next ten minutes, waiting for the girl to finish her masterpiece.

"All done!" she finally announced, letting Yuto finally move again. He blinked rapidly before getting up slowly and turning to Yuya.

"So… what do you think?"

Yuya stared at Yuto and tried to suppress his laughter. He looked hilarious, his face was a light shade of orange with dabs of white, but it was mostly covered in long black stripes that extended across his cheeks and forehead.

"You look great!" Yuya shot forwards and patted him on the shoulder. "You even look better than Performapal Salutiger!"

Yuto chuckled slightly. "I'll have to take your word for it."

"Nah you won't!" Yuya pulled out his phone and switched on the front facing camera. Standing beside Yuto, he pulled it up to their faces.

"Oh God I look ridiculous," Yuto cried, palming his forehead.

"You look great," Yuya assured him. "Now smile!"

Yuya snapped a picture of them together with Yuto half smiling and half covering his face in embarrassment.

"Can we please get that candy floss now?" Yuto pleaded.

"Sure! A tiger's gotta' eat after all."

Yuto playfully punched him in the arm as they set off towards the candy floss machine.

"I've got this," Yuya said, pulling some money from his pocket. "It's the least I can do after making you go through _that_. It did get pretty awkward."

Yuto laughed a genuine laugh, clearly not that overly flustered by the comments of the girl that had painted his face.

They arrived at the machine, with Yuya telling Yuto to go wait for him by a bench nearby.

As he waited in line, still holding his prize from earlier, he felt his phone buzz once again in his pocket.

Taking it out, he opened his messenger app to reveal a slew of messages from Yugo.

 _Clearwing0nabike: yuya_

 _Clearwing0nabike: yuya_

 _Clearwing0nabike: you should totes take him on the ferris wheel_

Yuya was quick to type a reply.

 _HippestHippo: That was my plan!_

As was Yugo.

 _Clearwing0nabike: aww make sure you 2 are up there by 8 theres always fireworks at that time!_

Fireworks?

Yuya didn't know there was going to be fireworks.

He checked the time as quickly as possible.

 _7:54pm_.

They could still make it.

Turning on his heel and abandoning the queue for candy floss, he sprinted back towards Yuto.

Sitting atop the Ferris wheel was one thing, but to watch a beautiful firework display against the backdrop of a clear night sky took it to a whole new level. It would be extremely romantic, and even if Yuto didn't share his feelings, he could play it off like he brought him up there for the view.

"Yuto! Change of plans!" he yelled, finally finding him and grabbing him by the wrist.

"Huh? What happened to the candy floss?"

"We can get that later, there's something we have to do first!"

Yuya guided him towards the queue for the Ferris wheel, which was luckily rather small considering the impending display.

"The Ferris wheel?" Yuto asked, confused.

"Yeah, it'll be such a nice view from up there!"

"But why now? Aren't you hungry too?"

"Well yeah, but… just wait and see, it'll be worth it."

Yuto shrugged and smiled. "If you say so, as long as we can have some candy floss at some point then sure."

Yuya reciprocated his smile and nodded.

The line was building behind them, but they were almost at the front. Yuya checked the time once again.

 _7:57pm_.

"It's almost time!" Yuya exclaimed, a little worried.

"Time for what?" Yuto inquired suspiciously.

"Err nothing, nothing."

Yuya managed to escape Yuto's slightly bemused gaze as the attendant ushered them into a car and pulled the bar down over them. Yuya quickly placed his plushie dragon between his feet, as not to lose him on the way up.

Before he knew it, they were moving.

Ascending slowly into the sky, they reached the top of the wheel a lot quicker than he expected.

Both him and Yuto gasped at the sight before them.

The view of the city from up here was magnificent. Although a lot of the outer city and its suburbs were still barren and without light, the inner city was very much alive. It was teeming with life and intensity, a testament to the work of the survivors who had remained here following the war. The lights of the newly reconstructed buildings twinkled in the darkness, giving Yuya the impression that they looked like stars. Houses and apartment blocks let off a warm orange glow, welcoming them and inviting them inside. The offices and corporate buildings of downtown shone even brighter, a crystal blue, reminding him of the tall glass skyscrapers of home.

"Wow…" Yuto breathed as they descended on the other side of the wheel.

"Just wait," Yuya smiled, "if you liked that, you're going to love what happens next."

Yuto again gave him a bemused look, but said nothing.

Yuya sneaked a glance at his phone.

 _8:01pm_.

Where were those damn fireworks?

Their car passed under the base of the wheel, beginning another pass.

From what Yuya had observed, the wheel was pretty quick compared to others he'd seen, as once it had done two full rotations it would be time for them to get off.

This was his last chance. Fireworks or no fireworks, he was going to confess his feelings to Yuto.

As the wheel continued to slowly spin their car back towards the top, Yuya started to panic a little inside. Questions began racing through his mind, his confidence slowly ebbing away as he considered the possibility that this was actually all a huge mistake.

How would Yuto take his confession? Did he feel the same way or was he in love with someone else?

Yuya's breathing quickened as they neared the top, his heart starting to thud rapidly in his chest.

They were almost at its peak, and yet there were still no fireworks to be seen.

Swallowing his disappointment, he turned to look at Yuto.

He looked so calm and at ease, his hair blowing gently in the wind as he admired the view before them. A stark contrast to the panicked expression Yuya was wearing.

Their car finally slowed as it reached the highest point.

Yuya clenched his shaking hands.

It was now or never.

"Yuto I-"

As Yuya began to iterate the confession he'd rehearsed in the mirror for the last week, a sudden jolt of the car caused him to stop dead in his tracks as his head was whipped back against the seat.

They'd stopped moving.

"What the hell?" Yuto began, rubbing the back of his own head. "Why have we stopped?"

Yuya shifted in his seat and craned his neck over the side to see what was going on.

He immediately sighed as he spotted what had caused them to stop so abruptly.

Standing at the control panel of the wheel, with his hand clenched around a lever, was Yugo. He grinned up at him, raising his arm and giving him a prolonged thumbs up. Behind him stood Yuri, who looked to be arguing with, or presumably threatening, the attendant for the ride.

"Holy shit is that Yugo? And Yuri?" Yuto exclaimed, copying Yuya's motion.

"I think so," Yuya replied, praying Yuto wouldn't think he engineered this whole thing.

"What are they-"

Yuto was interrupted as a rocket whizzed past their car and exploded high up in the sky, showering them in golden flakes of light.

More soon followed, with fireworks of all different shapes and colours beginning to light up the night's sky.

Yuya stared in wonder as green and red spheres of coloured stars exploded and shimmered around them. Like flowers blooming in the springtime, trails of sparks erupted from vibrant balls of light, forming beautiful rings of colour that lingered in the air before disappearing into puffs of smoke.

This was it. The _perfect_ moment.

Yuya turned to Yuto, ready to confess all.

Yuto on the other hand was fidgeting in his seat, not looking at the display before them, as if he trying to find a way out.

"Yuya something's happening, if Yugo and Yuri are here that must mean we're being attacked," he reasoned, craning his neck out of the car.

"Yuto I don't think-"

"It must be Neo-Fusion… Maybe Daisuke is back? Maybe their leader-"

"YUTO!" Yuya practically screamed, tired of all the interruptions.

Yuto turned around immediately, his face full of surprise.

"Listen to me, okay? I need to tell you something."

Yuya reached out his shaking hand and tentatively took Yuto's hand in his own. He could feel his uncertainty and confusion across their bond, the touch of his cold palm and fingers acting as a conduit for his emotions.

"I-I've thought about how I was going to tell you this for so long now, but… I think it'd be better if I just came right out and said it."

Yuya blinked hard and took a deep breath. "Yuto…"

"…I love you."

Yuto's eyes widened and Yuya felt his hand physically begin to shake.

"You… You love me?" he whispered, his voice quiet and filled with surprise.

"I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my entire life," Yuya began firmly, his nerve holding steady. "You've been by my side for so long, protected me and helped me through so much, I couldn't imagine living without you. I feel so close to you… but I want to feel even closer."

Yuya shook his head as a stream of tears began to fall down his cheeks. "When we were being attacked by Neo-Fusion all I could think about was you… I didn't care what happened to me, I just wanted you to be safe, I couldn't bear losing you without telling you how I felt."

Yuto, wide-eyed and blinking rapidly, said nothing.

"You don't have to say anything," Yuya sniffed, "but I want you to know that my feelings for you will never change, no matter what happens I will always love you with all my heart and soul."

Seeing that Yuto still wasn't responding, he screwed his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears. "If you don't feel the same way I'll understand if you don't want to live with me anymore… but can we at least stay friends if that-"

Yuya's breath hitched in his throat as he felt a tender heat on his lips, silencing him. He opened his eyes to discover a blushing Yuto leaning into him, pressing his mouth gently on to his.

Yuto blinked his long eyelashes and released their locked lips, gripping his chin with his thumb and forefinger as he did so.

His eyes never wavering, he slid his lips slowly over Yuya's, brushing over them as lightly as he could. It was gentle and sweet, leaving Yuya in a state of pure ecstasy as all of his dreams came true at once. The late evening air was cold whilst Yuto's lips were soft and warm, giving him cause to pull Yuto closer until their noses nearly bumped.

After a few more delicate kisses, Yuto pulled away. His cheeks were a bright pink and his eyes were a little wet.

"Yuya… I can't believe you did all this just to tell me that." He gestured around him at the carnival and the fireworks exploding overhead.

"Well I didn't really plan the fireworks, but I wanted it to be special," Yuya smiled sheepishly. He looked Yuto in the eye. "Does this mean… you feel the same way?"

Yuto smiled and leaned into peck Yuya on the lips. "What do you think?" he smirked.

"Ummm, maybe… I guess…?" Yuya teased out, dying for confirmation.

Yuto frowned.

Leaning forwards, he cupped Yuya's cheeks in his hands and pressed their foreheads gently together.

"Yuya Sakaki," he began, "I love you with all my heart and soul, and I promise I'll always be by your side no matter what happens. Wars, people, even dimensions won't keep me from loving you. I'm yours no matter what."

His smile widened. "Was that good enough for you?"

"Perfect," Yuya whispered, his grip on Yuto's hand tightening.

As the fireworks around them began to die down, they were beginning to hear what was going on below them.

"I swear! I saw them kiss!" They heard Yugo shout.

Yuya and Yuto couldn't help but giggle as they stared down at him over the side.

"I can't even see them," Yuri complained, stepping out from behind Yugo.

"They're there," he yelled, pointing in their direction. "Yuto's the one…"

"…that looks like… a tiger?"

Yuto hid his face in embarrassment as laughter rang out from the ground below them. Yuya chuckled and pulled his face up to meet his.

" _My_ tiger," Yuya smirked, earning a flustered smile from Yuto.

Staring longingly into each other's eyes, they simply sat gazing at one another, happy and content with spending the moment, _their moment_ , together at last.


	10. Heart and Soul

Chapter 10: Heart and Soul

"Yuto?" Yuya whispered, his voice getting lost in the thick duvet draped over his shoulders and mouth.

There was no answer, but Yuya hardly expected there to be.

It was 7:30 in the morning and the day after their trip to the carnival. When they had arrived back home late in the evening they were already exhausted but had proceeded to spend the night talking to each other about anything and everything, well into the early hours. Yuya had ended up falling asleep in Yuto's bed, neatly curled up around him.

Focusing his hearing as best he could, he smiled to himself contently as Yuto's soft breathing filled his ears. It was a light purring noise, and it was the sweetest sound Yuya had ever heard.

He took a deep breath and snuggled deeper into Yuto's neck, getting a face full of his raven black hair. Soft and fluffy, it smelled like the outdoors (to be expected after spending so long stuck on the Ferris wheel). Underneath that however was the distinct aroma of Yuto's shampoo, a smell that he had come to love more than any other. It gave him an unmistakable scent that was so sweet and fragrant that it made Yuya want to just lie in his bed forever, revelling in the divine essence of grapefruit and vanilla…

…and now he could!

He happily burrowed his nose into Yuto's hair, humming contently as he did so. He couldn't help but giggle as it tickled him back.

Yuto began to stir. He groaned and gave his hips a slight roll, arching his back and pushing his ass towards Yuya's groin.

Yuya stiffened.

 _That felt good_.

Yuya gently bucked his hips trying to recreate the feeling. He half-succeeded, but he was too tired to really follow up on it with any further attempts. Still, that wasn't about to discourage his curiosity.

Lazily, he moved his hand from around Yuto's waist and began delicately tracing lines from his navel up towards his collar bone, and down again. His skin was wonderfully warm to the touch, making Yuya bite his tongue with excitement. He had never had this much freedom of Yuto's body before, and he was going to take full advantage of that.

Up and down his chest his fingers went, drawing indecipherable patterns and incomplete shapes that (even if he was awake) Yuto would never understand. Yuya didn't either, but it just felt like the right thing to do.

His fingers slowed every time they reached his ribs, pressing on a little harder to feel their rough texture beneath Yuto's paper-thin skin. He followed the curvature of each one all the way around till his fingers met the mattress, only moving onto the next one when he was satisfied that he could explore no further.

Eventually, he reached the very bottom of Yuto's ribs. Curious, he continued downwards. The tissue below it was soft enough, but at the top of his hip the tips of his fingers were met with the uneven surface of the scar that Neo-Fusion had left on him. It was a reminder that things were far from over, but it also reminded Yuya that he should savour moments like these, especially considering how things almost ended for them all those weeks ago.

He decided to explore a little further. As lightly as he could as not to wake Yuto, he moved his fingers further southwards, keeping to the inside of his hip and avoiding the scar. He expected to come into contact with his boxers at any moment, but by the time he had reached the top of his thigh, he was starting to wonder whether Yuto was wearing anything at all.

It was a possibility… After all, it had been Yuya who had fallen asleep first last night (almost fully clothed). It would make sense for Yuto to have gotten ready for bed whilst he was asleep, but did his bedtime routine really include taking off all of his clothes?

The heat in his cheeks rising, Yuya decided to find out. Not wanting to appear _too_ forward, he decided to take a peek under the covers instead of going straight in with his hand. Bringing his arm back, he pulled the duvet up slightly and stuck his head under.

 _Holy shit_.

Yuya quickly brought his head out from under the duvet and lay still for a moment, his eyes wide and his face a light shade of pink.

Yuto wasn't naked… but he may as well have been. He was wearing his usual dragon print boxers ( _of course_ ), but they were riding dangerously low on his hips, with one side hanging so low he could see the majority of his ass.

Yuya lay, staring up at the ceiling, trying his hardest not to take another look. He didn't want to just look at it however, he wanted to touch it.

His fingers twitching, he pulled back the covers once again. His breath hitched as he took in the sight once more. Perfectly rounded, the half of his ass he had on show looked amazingly firm, clearly toned from all the physical training he put himself through during the war.

Yuya tentatively reached out his hand.

"Urgghhh, what time is it?"

Yuya gasped and immediately recoiled as Yuto stirred, his whole body moving as he stretched his arms and legs out. With a roll of his shoulders, he turned over and propped himself up on one of his elbows.

"Erm…" Flustered, Yuya frantically glanced around the room looking for the clock. "7:34" he finally replied.

Yuto smiled a weary smile.

He now lay facing towards Yuya. Just his hair, face and a little of his elbow were protruding out from under the covers. His hair was a mess and he looked exhausted, but to Yuya, he was still perfect in every single way, right down to the splodge of paint he'd failed to clean off from last night's 'transformation' into a tiger.

"You know," he began, his eyes brightening. "I'm still not sure but… did I actually die last night and is this heaven?"

Yuya laughed nervously, ducking under the sheets slightly in an attempt to hide the splash of pink still colouring his cheeks.

Yuto, ever the observant one, was quick to notice. His expression quickly changed to one of concern.

"Yuya are you alright?" he asked, shifting a little closer. "You look a little pink, you didn't catch anything last night did you? Because if you did I'd feel-"

"No nothing like that," Yuya interrupted. "I… I urmmm…" He quickly pulled the sheet completely over his head. He didn't want to lie to Yuto anymore, especially about things like this, but it was just too embarrassing to look him in the eye and explain his flush as being the result of him staring at his ass while he slept.

"I-I'm just a little hot that's all. I… umm, woke up really close to you and well… I sort of saw your ass." The last part of his sentence came out as a garbled mess, but it was clear that Yuto understood what he meant.

"Oh Yuya… You don't need to be embarrassed about that."

Before Yuya could retort, he felt a pair of strong arms clasp around his waist. They pulled him close into Yuto's chest, his head coming to rest just under his chin.

"You can look all you want, okay? We're together now so you don't need to feel ashamed about how I make you feel."

Yuya nodded into his chest. It made him feel a lot better, but it didn't stop his face from continuing to burn with embarrassment.

After a few quiet moments, Yuto spoke again.

"Do you… do you want to touch it?"

Yuya's heartrate suddenly spiked.

"Can I?" he whispered, still pressed up against his chest.

Yuto didn't answer. He simply took one of Yuya's hands and gently guided it towards his hip. Once there, he loosened his grip and tugged lightly on his fingers, urging him to continue his earlier exploration.

Stretching his arm, Yuya obliged and pressed his hand down onto Yuto's partially-covered cheek. He could hear Yuto exhale deeply as he did so, his breath catching in the back of his throat.

Yuya bit his tongue. Yuto's breathy moan and the soft but firm feel of his ass were causing a heat to pool in the pit of his stomach, not to mention an uncomfortable twitching in his pants.

Not settling for a light touch, he gripped at it lightly, flexing his fingers and kneading the soft muscle until Yuto's breathing became even heavier. Yuya could feel Yuto's growing arousal pressing into his stomach, straining to break free from the thin fabric of his boxers.

"Fuck Yuya…" he breathed, trying to grind up against him for some kind of relief.

At the sound of his name, Yuya gripped even harder, digging his fingers in deep and dragging his nails across his skin. Getting closer to the groove of his ass, he found himself obstructed by a layer of fabric.

"Yuto…" he whispered, grabbing at the fabric and balling it in his fist.

Yuto responded by swiftly laying back down on his back and pulling Yuya up on top of him. Their legs now entangled and their bodies aligned, Yuto grasped Yuya's arms and pushed them down either side of his head. He then hooked his fingers under the collar of Yuya's shirt and pulled, practically ripping it off of his body.

In the scramble, they had become free of the duvet which now lay limply on the floor. Yuya could feel the cool air on his bare back (their window still hadn't been fixed), but he didn't care one bit. All he could focus on was the beautiful boy below him, staring up at him with a seductive smirk, his eyes wide and his breathing heavy with affection.

Yuto licked his lips and hooked his arms around Yuya's neck.

"I love you so fucking much…"

That did it.

Overcome with emotion and need, Yuya brought his lips crashing down onto Yuto's, their mouths meeting with a loud smack. Within seconds Yuya was moaning into his mouth, the pure bliss he felt too much to contain within his body. It was amazing, the soft texture of his slightly chapped lips, the feel of his strong hands around his neck, the wet heat of his mouth…

…something was different however. Something he'd experienced before, but not like this.

He could feel it seeping through every inch of Yuto's body. He hadn't felt it earlier, but now…

It was as if Yuto was radiating passion, his affection and desire permeating through his touch; his lips, hands and body acting as conduits for his emotions. Was this…

…their bond?

Yuya frantically grinded his hips against Yuto's, overwhelmed by the strength of his desire. He could feel Yuto's intensity, _his love for him_ , filtering through his tender touch, emotions running high and wild through their bodies. It was so strong it was pulling him in, causing him to grind harder and faster. He could barely see straight, the heat and emotion too much for him to take.

"Yu-Yuya… ahhhhhh… Yuya slow down," Yuto managed to choke out, their lips finally parting.

Yuya inhaled sharply and snapped back to reality. He rolled off of Yuto, severing their connection.

"Are you okay?" Yuto panted, helping him to sit up.

"I'm… I'm not sure," Yuya replied hazily, his eyes wide and his pupils blown. "I... I could feel something, something between us-"

"You felt it too?" Yuto was quick to interrupt.

Yuya swallowed hard and nodded. He wasn't sure how to talk about… whatever this was. He knew they shared something, a connection, but how could he explain it? He didn't know what it was, what caused it, or why it was there in the first place. All he had were assumptions and his past experiences. If Yuto could feel it too, then maybe he could shed some light on this.

They both sat in relative silence for a moment, ruminating on the 'bond' they apparently shared. Yuya really hoped Yuto would be the one to mention it first. As it turns out, he did.

"Have you felt it before?" he asked, his eyes searching Yuya's face for an answer.

"I think so… but not like that."

Yuto pushed back off the headboard and crossed his legs. He smiled reassuringly, as if he sensed Yuya's hesitance.

"I have, quite a few times actually."

Yuya gave him a look as if to say, _really_?

"Yeah, just not as strong a feeling I guess. It's silly but… it's kind of like I can feel your emotions when it happens."

"That's exactly it," Yuya piped up. "It's as if we're still in the same body, like… like when you took over during our duel with Serena and Ruri."

"It's a similar feeling yeah but… we don't share a body anymore. So why is this happening?"

Yuya frowned.

Yuto was again quick to notice his change in expression.

"Sorry," he explained, "I didn't mean to make it sound like it was a bad thing, I'm just super confused is all." He moved closer to Yuya and lay down beside him. Placing a delicate finger on his side, he began to draw lines along his ribs. "I actually think it's kind of cute," he whispered sheepishly. "It makes me feel really close to you."

Yuya couldn't help but smile at Yuto's warm words. "I remember," Yuya began, "the first time I felt it was when we were walking home in the dark that time when we were attacked, the way you held me afterwards in the stairwell… I could feel how much you cared about me, I've never felt anything like it."

He could feel tears tugging at the corners of his eyes, but he continued anyway. "It happened a lot after that, whenever you touched me I could feel almost exactly how you felt, and sometimes, especially if you were upset or hurt, I'd try and send you some happy feelings to try and make you feel better."

"Awww Yuya, come here." Yuto pulled Yuya down into hug, both of them again now lying on their sides.

"I tried not to reveal my emotions to you most of the time though, I was scared of… well showing you how I truly felt about you. I-I shouldn't have kept that from you," Yuya continued, sobbing lightly. "I'm sorry… I always tried holding it back, I didn't want you to know because I was scared you wouldn't feel the same way."

Yuto stroked his hair gently as Yuya cried softly into his neck. "It's okay it's okay, I… I did the same thing."

"You did?" Yuya sniffed.

"Yes… I shouldn't have but I did. When I was sure that I loved you I tried to not let it show… I came so close before the night with Neo-Fusion, you have no idea. When I had hold of your hand before we left, I was trying so hard to not think of how much I loved you in case you could feel it."

Yuya squeezed him tighter. "I love you so much… please tell me this won't come between us."

"Of course it won't," Yuto assured him. "I love the fact we can be _that_ close. I don't know how it works, and I'm not sure exactly how we can trigger it or when it can happen… or even if we can even control it but in the end none of that matters. All that matters is that I love you, and you love me."

Yuya nodded and closed his eyes contently, knowing Yuto meant every word of what he said. He absentmindedly pushed Yuto back down and nuzzled up into his neck, slinging an arm across his chest and pulling him close.

They lay like this for some time, both boys happy in the knowledge that such a strange part of their relationship was now out in the open. After a while, Yuya began to feel sleepy again. Just as he was about to nod off, he was startled by the sound of his duel disk booting up across the room.

Yuya groaned, but didn't move.

"You should get that," Yuto whispered.

"I'm not moving," Yuya assured him. "I can't reach it so I guess it'll have to wait… plus you're way too cuddly, there's no way I'm letting go."

"It could be important."

When Yuya didn't move, Yuto tried to wiggle free from his grasp.

"I'll get it," he grumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed trying to stand. Yuya was quick enough to grab him around the waist, so Yuto had no choice but to drag Yuya with him.

Once he had gone so far however, Yuya was forced to let go with an exaggerated whine, not willing to fall off the bed and flat on his face.

Yuto grabbed Yuya's duel disk from the small table beside the door and engaged the message function. Pressing some of the device's many buttons, a chat box soon appeared on its main display.

"It's from Reiji," Yuto stated flatly.

"Why did he not just text my phone?" Yuya propped himself up on his elbows and stared at Yuto, distracted somewhat by his semi-naked form.

"Must be important…" Yuto read the message, eventually letting out a sigh and switching off the disk, placing it back on the table. "He wants you to meet him at Leo HQ at 8:45, something about dimension hopping to Standard for the day. Says it's urgent."

Yuya sighed heavily and hung his head over the edge of the bed. "Why on a Sunday… and at 8:45? That's in less than an hour..."

"What is it he wants you for?" Yuto asked, now leaning against the wall.

"He wants me to go to Standard and try to find Sora, he thinks he might know something about Neo-Fusion."

"Hmm, he asked me to do the same with Shun here in Xyz."

"He did?" Yuya looked up, surprised.

"Yeah, it's a lost cause though. The war was tough on Shun… and Sora from what I could tell back then. I really don't think this will be too helpful."

"Maybe not, but it would be nice to see Sora again I guess, it's been so long." Yuya smiled wistfully. "Will you… come with me?"

Yuto pushed off the wall and opened the door. "Do you really even need to ask?" he smirked. " _Not even dimensions will keep us apart_."

Yuya grinned and bit his lip, Yuto's words taking him back to last night atop of the Ferris wheel.

Yuto strolled out of through the door and disappeared around the corner.

"What time did you say we need to be there?" he called from the corridor.

"8:45!" Yuya shouted back.

Yuto suddenly appeared back at the doorway, just his head poking in from around the corner. "That's too bad," he hummed, "if only we'd have had a little more time."

With the most playful of smiles and a cheeky wink, he extended an arm around the doorway and threw his boxers onto the floor beside the bed, right in front of Yuya.

Yuya could only sigh in frustration as Yuto disappeared into the corridor once again, laughing as he went.

Notes:

Hey All,

First off I'm sorry for not updating sooner. March was incredibly busy for me thanks to University, and I was also working on my pawnship one-shot (Incitement and Excitement) that I uploaded last week (I think?). I guess your reward for waiting so long was this, let's say heated, chapter (that has probably warranted a rating change!). We'll get to the proper smut eventually I'm sure;) Also, woo 10 chapters!

A quick note on the AU as I think something needs clarifying: As I've said before, this is in the same AU as Bittersweet Heat, only a year before. So the deal is Zarc never happened and once Fusion and Leo were defeated, the ARC reactor never activated. Rather than becoming one, Yuya and Yuto never succumbed to the darkness in their hearts (what would have been Zarc). The whole Zarc thing was never explained to anyone either, so no-one knows why Leo wanted Yuya and Yuzu and their counterparts (so canon divergence at Ep 126 I guess?). Yuto was still absorbed by Yuya, and Yugo was still absorbed by Yuri, but once Fusion were defeated and the reactor destroyed, they became physical again. The four dimensions still exist separately too. Phew, I hope that makes some kind of sense lol. More will be explained in the story eventually I guess, but there's no need to get bogged down in any of this, the current story is what's important :3

As for the next update, it come eventually! I'm probably going to work on maybe a one-shot for arc-v anniversary month, but once that's done I'll start on the next chapter!

Thank you so much for reading and understanding. I love you all 33 Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	11. Standard Deviation

Chapter 11: Standard Deviation

"It's imperative we establish whether the individuals I mentioned to you possess any knowledge of this new threat." Reiji pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. He glared at Yuya and Yuto, who were both stood idly in front of his desk. "I informed you individually of this matter as I was hoping we'd cover more ground and in the process expend less of our valuable time. In any case, seen as you're here Yuto you may as well go along anyway… not that I'd have much of a chance of persuading you otherwise it appears…"

Yuto smiled sheepishly at Yuya and then nodded respectfully at Reiji.

They had decided it best not to tell Reiji of their relationship for now, but something told Yuya that he knew more about what was going on between the two of them than he was letting on.

Reiji rose from his desk. "As I'm sure you're aware dimensional travel is still limited following the war, and other than some notable exceptions…" He meant Yuri and his travels between Fusion and Xyz. "…I intend for it to remain that way in light of recent events."

Bending down, he picked up a small metal briefcase and set it on the desk. "However, I see no way for us to contact Sora other than by way of a face-to-face meeting. I therefore give you permission to jump dimensions this once in order to establish said contact." He released the latches on the briefcase and swung it open. Pulling out two cards, he handed them to Yuya and Yuto.

They both knew what they were having used them countless times before. Booting up their duel disks, the two quickly inserted the cards into the field spell zone. A computerised voice promptly informed them that the action field ' _Crossover_ ' was now active.

"Just make sure you're back here by 7:30," Reiji stated flatly.

Yuto furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"Because you have college tomorrow, do you not?"

Yuto grumbled and looked off to the side as his cheeks flared with embarrassment. Yuya chuckled to himself.

"I thought so." Reiji calmly sat back down behind his desk. "The only report we have on Sora's whereabouts is sketchy at best, but seen as we have no other leads, it's all we've got. This report detailed only a single sighting of him… near the You Show Duel School incidentally. Your knowledge of the area should make you ideal for this task, Yuya."

"I'll make use of it," Yuya replied.

Reiji crossed his arms and leaned backwards. "Good luck."

Yuya nodded and input the code for the Standard dimension, followed by the coordinates of Leo HQ.

"Meet outside of the Leo building?" he asked, turning to Yuto.

Yuto smiled and nodded.

Yuya wanted nothing more than to rush forwards and to take Yuto's hand, but with Reiji watching it he decided against it.

"I'll see you on the other side." With that, Yuya took one last glance at Yuto and pressed a button on his disk, engaging the teleport function.

With a sudden burst of light, his disk whirred into life. His body was immediately enveloped in the flash, covering him from head to toe in a pinkish hue. His surroundings began to melt away around him, the lower half of his body starting to disappear into a cloud of fine particles. He screwed his eyes shut tightly, the blinding light distorting his vision. He stood perfectly still, calmly waiting for the process to be complete.

He remembered back to the first time he had dimension hopped. He had been so (inwardly) scared of travelling, out of fear of what might happen if it went wrong. Of course, he didn't want to show it in front of the other Lancers, so naturally he had kept it to himself. Yuzu had been scared too from what he could remember… they had confided in each other so much back then. He wondered how she was doing.

They hadn't spoken much in the last few months. They had slowly drifted apart after the war, probably owing to the amount of time Yuya had spent alone in the ruins of Heartland, searching for himself, unwilling to open up to anyone about the crisis he had been enduring.

He wanted to see her again. He had to make things better between them, to apologise for being so distant and to explain why he had acted so despondently towards her over the past year. She had remained in Standard, so perhaps now would be an ideal time…

Stuck in his thoughts, Yuya hadn't realised he'd arrived until he felt a familiar cool breeze drift over his bare arms. Snapping back to reality, he opened his eyes and took in the sight before him.

Maiami City.

All around him stood magnificent buildings of glass and fine stone, their monumental frames dwarfing all but the LDS Tower behind him. Climbing high up into the sky, they met the still rising sun with a warm embrace, light filtering tenderly through their windows and refracting lazily inside.

At street level he could already feel the energy of the city, _his_ city. Across the way he could see a countless number of people hurrying along the sidewalk, jostling with one another as they made their way into the centre for an early morning trip to the shops. Yuya always admired anyone who was willingly active at this time on a Sunday morning. The city looked as though it was only just waking up, but the truth was Maiami never slept. He could hear cars honking all around him, sirens wailing in the distance. News helicopters buzzed overhead.

He was home.

Yuya took a deep breath of Maiami air and made his way towards the street. Rounding an empty duel field, he spotted Yuto standing by a couple of hedges, looking totally lost. He looked adorable, like a lost puppy.

Yuya crept towards him, trying to stay out of sight.

Even though they had only been apart for a brief moment, Yuya had actually missed him. A lot. Just seeing him again made him giddy, and of course put an enormous smile on his face.

Approaching him from behind, Yuya sneaked around the hedge and leapt at Yuto.

"Yooooooooots!" he cried, throwing his arms around his waist and pulling him into a backwards hug.

A little startled, Yuto let out a surprised yelp before softening to Yuya's touch.

"Yuya!" he eventually managed, turning himself around and reciprocating the embrace. "Did you miss me?"

Yuya promptly responded by squeezing the life out of him.

He eventually let go after a slew of protests, allowing Yuto to straighten out his shirt and jacket.

"Boy can you hug," he smiled, pulling on his tie a little. "We should probably get going though, Sora isn't going to be easy to find." He motioned for Yuya to begin walking. "You lead the way, I don't… I'm not familiar with this area."

Yuya nodded and took Yuto's hand.

"It's not far to You Show. Just a few blocks from here actually." He led Yuto out onto the street and they began walking in an eastward direction, hand-in-hand.

Yuya loved this. He absolutely loved it. Holding Yuto's hand in public felt so domestic and so natural. It felt like they were a _real_ couple, which of course they were! It also made him feel closer to him, if that were somehow possible.

He tried to steal a glance at him every now and again as they walked, Yuto's cheeks pinkening slightly anytime their eyes met. It was all so new to them. They had held hands many times before, but now they were together… it was a whole different feeling. They were so comfortable around each other and yet, with the development of their relationship, even after a day, the simple things they shared already seemed more tender and loving. There was a newfound magic between them, the spark they had originally shared finally given the chance to burn bright.

"I have no idea how you know where you're going," Yuto stated as they turned a corner onto another busy road.

"I lived here for sixteen years, I should know my way around by now, silly," Yuya replied with a wink. "You should know at least _some_ of the city though surely? You were here for a good while."

Yuto shook his head and then shot Yuya a smile. "All I really remember of it is Central Park, and even then my memory of that is still a bit fuzzy. When I think about it, all I really get is a picture of you and your beautiful face looking down on me."

Yuya blushed and opted to look off to the side.

Yuto gave his hand a little squeeze. His fingertips tingled as a flood of affection came filtering through. Yuya bit his lip. He smiled shyly back at him, before pulling him around another corner and onto the side street where the You Show Duel School was located.

As they approached, Yuya couldn't help but feel a little sad. It was a bittersweet feeling to return to his former school. He had so many fond memories of this place… hanging out with his friends, helping the kids out in class, the amazing action duels…

He missed it.

Yuya sighed as they stopped to look up at the caged duel field that balanced precariously atop the main building. He had always wondered how it managed to stay aloft.

"You miss this place, don't you?" Yuto asked, cutting through his thoughts.

"I had some good times here," Yuya replied, a little belatedly. "It's where it all began for me."

"Are you going to be okay? We can take a minute if you like."

"No no," Yuya assured him. "Let's just get looking for Sora."

Yuto nodded in understanding. "We should start by asking around. It's still early, but if we split up we can have two or three blocks done by…" He checked his duel disk for the time. "…say 10am?"

He let go of Yuya's hand.

Yuya inhaled sharply at the sudden loss of warmth. He turned to Yuto and gave him a panicked look.

Yuto smiled reassuringly and pulled him into a hug. "It won't be for long Yuya, don't worry. I'll just be a message away, okay?"

Yuya nodded into the collar of his jacket. He didn't want to let go.

"I'm sorry I'm like this," he whispered, squeezing him tightly.

"Like what?"

"Clingy…" He burrowed his face into Yuto's neck, a little embarrassed. "I just don't ever want to be apart from you…"

Yuto softly patted his back. "Don't be sorry, okay? Believe me, I feel the same way, I really do. But we can't be together 100% of the time." He gently pulled out of their embrace and placed his hands on his shoulders. "That doesn't mean we can't settle for 99% though." Yuto's smile got wider and he offered him a playful wink.

Yuya couldn't help but laugh a little. He shook his head and smiled. "Okay. I'll hold you to that."

Yuto gave his shoulders a squeeze before letting go. "Okay then, I'll head back the way we came, and you carry on in this direction. Message me if you find anything, alright?"

Yuya nodded.

With one last smile, Yuto shot forwards and planted a kiss on his cheek. It was sweet and chaste, leaving him all most dizzy with affection. Noticing the pink now creeping into his cheeks, Yuto giggled.

"I love you," he grinned, before turning on his heel and heading back down the street.

Still a little stunned, Yuya was slow to respond. "I love you too!" he eventually called out after him, a little too loudly (and desperately).

Composing himself, he set off walking down the street.

It took him almost an hour to search the block for any sign of Sora. He searched high and low, knocking on every door, asking every passer-by, and checking every alley and side street.

But to no avail. There was absolutely no sign of Sora. No-one had ever heard of him, let alone seen him. This surprised Yuya, especially given that Sora had been hugely influential in fighting the war- on both sides.

Exhausted, Yuya had made his way back to You Show to wait for Yuto. He must have either had more luck than he did, or he was searching another block, because he wasn't there when he arrived back.

Yuya sat, slumped against the outdoor climbing wall. He stared up at the duel cage and the tubular shaped study hall beside it. A yellow slide snaked around behind them, splitting into two and curling its way past the classrooms and down onto the street below. A complete mismatch of shapes and colours, You Show really stood out compared to the buildings around it.

Yuya's gaze shifted to the building on his right. Dull and boring, it was coloured a dreary brown.

He quickly turned his attention to the building on his left. An apartment building of sorts, it was slightly taller than the school. Coloured a dirty white, it was a wholly unappealing place to live. His eyes scanned the building, looking for anything of interest.

Nothing.

He was about to turn away when something caught his eye.

On top of the roof stood a water tower. There was nothing particularly special about it, it was just as dirty and uninteresting as the rest of the building, but a certain shape atop its cylindrical frame made it stand out against the backdrop of a now risen sun.

Yuya stood up and moved out of the shade to get a better view.

He narrowed his eyes.

It was a strange shape, its form lean and thin. Its top was bulbous, unnaturally so, and almost spiky in appearance.

In the morning light, he could just about make out a sliver of colour. It was a familiar shade of blue, almost like the sky above, but perhaps a little lighter.

Yuya gasped.

He ran out of the schoolyard and towards the railings nearby. He stopped and took another glance up.

The shape had moved. It was now much taller, and humanoid in form. It stood, now facing his direction.

For a split second, the sun seemed to catch the figure's eyes. They glimmered in the rays of light, two emeralds shimmering wondrously in the morning sun.

Yuya vaulted the railing and ran till he was just beneath the building. He looked up to witness the figure making its way down the side of the tower.

"Sora!" Yuya cried from below. "Stop! I need to talk to you!"

When the figure didn't show any signs of slowing down, Yuya looked around, panicking. He spotted a door on the side of the building. Praying it wouldn't be locked, he charged at it.

He barged it open with his shoulder, pain shooting through his arm. Wincing, he frantically looked left and then right. He spotted a set of concrete stairs a little way down the corridor. Deducing that he must be in some kind of utility corridor, he sprinted towards the stairs, hopping over pipes and cables as he went.

His heart was thudding hard in his chest as he leapt up the first few steps, his focus now solely on reaching the roof.

It was a long way to the top and by the time he was half-way, he was almost completely out of breath. Stopping for a moment to recoup some energy, he activated his duel disk and fumbled with the buttons. He quickly typed out a message to Yuto telling him where he was. Pressing send, he deactivated his disk and wiped his brow, his movements slow and heavy.

He began running once again, setting a similar to pace to before. He took each set of stairs a few steps at a time, leaping up each one, until he finally came to the last set. He could see a door at the top, its frame outlined by a welcoming light, the sun's rays filtering neatly through the gaps.

Clumsily, he grabbed hold of the guardrail and hauled himself up the final few steps. Setting his now sweaty palm on the door's handle, he pushed down hard and pulled it towards him.

The door creaked open and he stepped out into the light. Emerging onto the rooftop with a laboured groan, he immediately set his gaze upon the water tower before him.

Nothing.

He span around, scanning the rest of the rooftop with tired eyes. There was nothing there but large pipes and a few barrels.

He let out a defeated sigh. He'd let Sora get away.

Dejected, he fell to his knees, panting hard. Other than his laboured breaths it was almost silent up here, the wind strangely only reaching a light breeze.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, he heard a rustling coming from behind the barrels that lay by the door. Curious, he got to his feet and made his way over there. What looked to be spent oil drums, the barrels didn't look particularly important, but they certainly looked like effective hiding places.

As he approached, the noise became quieter, eventually stopping altogether.

Strange, Yuya thought…

Without warning, one of the drums tipped over onto its side with a large crash. A flash of blue sprang from the barrel, causing it to roll with purpose towards him.

Startled, Yuya dived out of the way, his body hitting the floor with a loud thud. He glanced up in time to see the barrel ramp up a nearby vent and career off the edge. It landed with an almighty bang.

Behind him, Yuya could hear the sound of footsteps. He quickly span himself around, only to see a familiar figure balancing precariously on the edge of the building.

"Sora!" he cried out. "Please stop!"

He had his back to Yuya, his arms raised, teetering on the edge. He looked as though he was about to jump, to escape onto the side of another building.

Yuya would have no chance of catching him then, Sora was far too agile for that.

"It's… it's… it's Fusion!" Yuya shouted at the top of his lungs, desperate to get the boy's attention. "They're back…"

At that, Sora hesitantly lowered his arms and stepped down from the ledge. He turned towards Yuya, his navy-blue jacket swaying openly with the breeze.

Yuya let out an involuntary gasp at the state of him.

He was filthy. His clothes were worn and tattered, the gold and orange trim of his jacket almost completely faded. His usually cherubic face was covered with flecks of dirt, the emeralds of his eyes the only part of his face retaining their colour. The duel disk on his arm was scratched to high heaven, its metal work damaged and its colours faded. He wore a serious expression, his gaze set and his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Sora…" Yuya whispered, rising to his feet.

"Fusion," Sora said, sternly.

Yuya swallowed. He didn't like the look on Sora's face. "Well… it's hard to explain but-"

"Fusion," he repeated.

Yuya paused for a moment, knowing how this was going to sound to him. "It's… Neo-Fusion actually."

For a brief moment, Sora's expression twisted into one of confusion. It soon changed to one of anger, however.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he spat, moving menacingly towards Yuya.

"No no!" Yuya tried to protest, stepping back. "I- I mean we, were attacked back in Xyz by a group going by the name of Neo-Fusion, that's why we've been looking for you."

Sora clearly wasn't convinced. He activated his duel disk and held it in front of him, ready.

"I don't believe you."

Yuya was shocked. What had become of Sora this past year?

"Sora please, you have to believe me. It's the truth!"

Sora violently pushed his deck into his disk.

"No Sora! What are you doing? We're friends…"

"I have no friends!" he bit back, drawing a few cards.

Yuya dropped to his knees, tears stinging the corners of his eyes.

"Don't do it…"

Without hesitation, Sora pressed a card down hard onto his field.

Within seconds, a set of pink legs had appeared before him, followed by a large fluffy body. The sound of thread spinning filled the air as a monstrous pair of arms weaved themselves out of nothing, immediately attaching to the hulking mass of fluff once they were complete. Two eyes sprang from its top, glassy and cold. From its chest burst a set of sharpened blades, the two coming together to form a ferocious pair of scissors.

Yuya was crying freely.

The Sora he once knew wasn't like this. He was kind and sweet, full of energy and limitless affection.

Sora readied himself to give the order to attack.

"Sora…"

"This is what you get for trying to trick me…"

He raised his arm.

"They almost killed Yuto!" Yuya screamed, raising his hands in a vain attempt to protect his face from the impending strike.

He waited for the inevitable attack.

It didn't come.

Yuya looked up. Sora had lowered his arm, and his green eyes appeared to be wavering.

"They… they did?" he questioned, lowering his arm.

"They nearly killed me too," Yuya cried, thrusting his arm forwards to show off the wounds he'd sustained at the hands of Neo-Fusion's Hunting Hounds. "These scars will heal, but Yuto's…" Yuya rose to his feet and staggered towards Sora, wiping at his eyes as he went. "They stabbed him Sora. They stabbed him. They cut him up in the street and left him for dead."

At that, Sora deactivated his duel disk, the monstrosity in front of him disappearing into a veil of light. He ran forwards and grabbed Yuya by the arm.

"You… you weren't lying," he stammered, inspecting the teeth marks that were still visible on his arm.

Yuya yanked his arm away, saddened by Sora's lack of trust.

Sora sank to his knees, a far away look clouding his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, staring at the floor.

"Sora what happened to you?" Yuya asked desperately, shaking his head and sitting down beside him.

For a moment, he didn't say anything back. He just sat, staring absently at the floor.

"I'm not like you Yuya," he finally said, his voice quiet and his tone bitter. "I fought on both sides of the war. People don't see me in the same way they see you." He paused and glanced towards him. "After it was over I knew how it was going to be. The world had changed… and there was no place in it for me."

"So… what did you do?"

He took a deep breath. "I ran. I came back to Standard so I didn't have to face all the people whose lives I ruined in Xyz."

"But you had friends there. _We_ were your friends, all of the Lancers were."

"Maybe during the war… but after it, after everything I'd seen, everything I'd done… I couldn't look any of you in the eye anymore." Tears were welling up in the corners of his eyes. "No-one understands what I've been through."

Yuya reached out and put an arm around his shoulders. "I know you had it rough, but there are still people out there who want to be your friends," he coaxed.

"I can't connect with people the same way I used to," Sora replied coldly, shrugging Yuya's arm off. He stood up, avoiding his gaze. "I don't think I ever will be able to again."

Yuya sighed resignedly. An uncomfortable silence descended upon the two. He didn't know what to say. The war had really messed Sora up, that much was obvious. He was sleeping rough and had clearly developed trust issues, as well as an aversion to interpersonal relationships.

"Are they really back?" Sora finally whispered, breaking the silence.

"If you mean Fusion, then yes, in a way. All we know is they're what's left of Academia, plus some new recruits." Yuya rose to his feet and dusted off his pants.

"I knew it wasn't over. I knew deep down the war was only the beginning."

"We don't know anything for sure. It could just be a few fanatics looking to cause some trouble, we just don't know."

Sora didn't look convinced.

"If you really want to find out," Yuya continued, "come back with me Sora. Come back to Xyz and help fight them."

"I can never go back!" Sora exploded, sprinting off to the opposite end of the rooftop. Yuya ran after him.

Sora eventually reached the end and leapt up onto the ledge, readying himself to jump.

"Sora wait!"

He stopped and looked back at Yuya.

"Okay you don't have to come back with me, but…" Yuya pulled an old mobile phone from his pocket and held it out in his hand. "…can you at least call me if you hear or see anything? They could be anywhere."

Sora looked hesitant. After a moment, he dropped down and snatched the phone from Yuya's hand, pocketing it. Leaping back up onto the ledge, he gave him one last glance… before jumping off.

Yuya immediately ran to the side and peered over. To his relief, there was Sora, clinging to the scaffolding of the adjacent building.

He breathed a heavy sigh. This had hardly been the reunion he had been hoping for.

He wasn't allowed to dwell on it however, because as soon as Sora was out of sight, he heard someone calling his name. It was faint at first, but it quickly neared.

All of a sudden, the door to the stairway burst open, with an exhausted looking Yuto emerging from it. He staggered forwards out of breath, before spotting Yuya and running over to him.

"Yuya!" he cried, lunging forwards and throwing his arms around him.

"I'm okay," Yuya assured him, his voice getting lost in Yuto's collar.

"I was so worried about you…" Yuto squeezed him hard. "As I was walking back here I heard this loud crash and I thought you were in trouble, I tried to get here as fast I could."

"I can tell." Yuya let out a small laugh as Yuto panted, trying his hardest to get his breath back. Eventually, he pulled out of their embrace and set about inspecting Yuya for injuries.

"You're full of cuts and bruises," Yuto observed, a storm of anger beginning to brew behind his burnished steel eyes. "Did Sora do this to you?"

Yuya shook his head and turned around. He looked off in the direction Sora had left.

"It was an accident, but… I think something's wrong with him, Yuto. I think the war changed him."

"It changed all of us," Yuto countered. He came to stand beside Yuya, joining him in looking out across the city. "It doesn't give him the right to hurt you."

"It wasn't his fault, he was just trying to hide and I startled him."

Yuto simmered down. "If you say so. Did he know anything about Neo-Fusion?"

"Nothing. He thought I was trying to trick him at first…" Yuya shook his head once more.

Yuto placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "He might come around eventually?"

"I don't know. He barely said anything to me… and then he took off when I mentioned coming back with us." Yuya tried his best to smile. "At least he took my old phone with him though."

"See," Yuto smiled, "he isn't completely gone. I'm sure he wants to be your friend and I'm sure he wants to help, it's just he doesn't know how to anymore."

Yuya nodded and lifted his head defiantly. "I'm going to get him back, Yuto. I don't care what it takes, he needs our help."

Yuto's smiled widened. Taking a step towards Yuya, he swept up from behind and hooked his arms around his neck, his chin now resting on his shoulder.

"This is why I love you. You'll do anything to make sure someone's happy." He kissed his cheek lightly.

Yuya grabbed his hands and held them to his chest. He leaned his head gently against Yuto's and sighed happily. He tried to whisper "I love you too," but his words were lost in the affectionate sigh that sprang up from the very bottom of his heart.

They stayed like this for a while, the two of them taking the moment to revel in each other's touch. Looking out across the city, they had a magnificent view of the surrounding area.

"I think I can see my house from here," Yuya finally breathed.

Yuto nuzzled his cheek with his nose, earning a giggle from Yuya. "Can you really?"

"Yeah, it's just over there." He pointed off into the distance towards the city's suburbs.

Yuto hummed contently.

Yuya suddenly had an idea. He span around in a pirouette, his smile wide and his eyes shining. He kept a firm grip on Yuto's hands.

"Yuto," he grinned, almost looking as though he was going to burst with happiness.

"Yes Yuya?"

"It's been forever since I've been home, and seen as we're here all day…"

Yuto blinked rapidly, knowing what was coming.

"How would you like to come home with me…"

Yuto bit his lip.

"…and meet my parents?"

Notes:

Ahhhhhhhhh sorry guys for another late update. I've been super busy with it being the last month of uni and all. Should be back to my usual turn around now though!

Also, a quick point: I love you all but posting reviews that just say "please update" (and literally nothing else) won't get me to update quicker. I'm sorry but I'm really trying my hardest to get content out! I'm sorry but, please be patient and I will update ASAP!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know not a lot happened but... the next chapter will either be a bit like Frightfur Bear in that it will be a hulking mass of fluff, or things could get more heated;) Also there will definitely be some actual plot development, I promise XD

Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear what you think!


	12. Home Run

Chapter 12: Home Run

Yuto was unusually quiet.

Ever since accepting Yuya's offer to go visit his parents, he had barely said a word. It was painfully obvious the whole idea of it was already playing on his mind. On their way back down to the street below, Yuya had tried to make conversation to take his mind off of it, but Yuto had become increasingly reticent, to the point that he had stopped answering altogether. Even now, as they approached the road on which Yuya's home was located, he remained withdrawn.

"Yuto?"

"Hm."

Yuya turned around to smile at him, walking slowly backwards.

"What do you want to do when we get there?" he asked, trying his best to breathe some life into his boyfriend.

"I'm not sure," Yuto muttered, seemingly disinterested.

Yuya frowned, but his smile was quick to return.

"Ooh ooh, you have to try sliding down the pole from my room into the kitchen, it's so fun!"

"I guess." Yuto's response was short and curt.

As they reached the end of the street, the Sakaki household just a few minutes away, Yuya stopped abruptly. He turned and stared down Yuto defiantly.

"What…?" Yuto asked, avoiding his gaze.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

Yuya breathed deep.

"If you don't want to do this, we don't have to," Yuya stated flatly, folding his arms. "If it's too soon, you could have just told me."

"No, I want to. It isn't that it's too soon," Yuto protested, straightening his tie.

"Then what is it?"

He stared at the floor.

"I'm… I'm nervous," he admitted, shuffling his feet.

"Aww, you don't need to be nervous Yoots." Yuya stepped forwards and swept him up into a hug. "They're both going to love you."

"They won't." Yuto's voice was muffled by the fabric of Yuya's shirt.

Yuya pulled back and clasped his hands firmly on his shoulders. He tried to look him in the eye, but Yuto again avoided his gaze, opting instead to turn his head and look off to the side.

"Why do you think that…?"

"Because…" Yuto shook his head. "…Because I'm not exactly boyfriend material, okay? I come from a really rough place, I have no parents and the way I look is just… well, I look like a thug."

There was a moment of silence as Yuya took in Yuto's words.

"Yuto look at me."

Yuya pressed a finger to his cheek and gently guided his face back towards him, so that their eyes could finally meet.

"I don't care where you came from and it shouldn't matter anyway, you can't judge someone on something like that. The way you look doesn't matter either. So you wear a lot of black, who cares? Your outfits always look amazing on you, so don't worry about that, okay? As for your parents, well… I'm sure mine will be there for you just like they've been there for me."

Yuto's eyes were wet with emotion. With a heavy sniff he pulled Yuya into a tight embrace.

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Yuto squeezed him hard.

"Thank you. I feel a lot better now."

"No problem," Yuya beamed, pulling out of their hug.

"Are you not a little nervous too?" Yuto asked, laying a hand on Yuya's hip.

"Why should I be?"

"Well, you shouldn't, but… have you told them you're gay?"

Yuya's eyes widened.

"I-I… urgh…" A fear began to well up inside of him, his chest tightening as the realisation hit him like a train. "I… not yet," he stammered, taking a step backwards.

How could he tell Yuto his parents would accept him when there was a chance they wouldn't even accept their own son?

Yuya put his head in his hands. Yuto was quick to embrace him, pulling him into a gentle hug just as Yuya had done with him moments ago.

"It's okay, I'm sure they won't have a problem with it," Yuto soothed, rubbing his back softly.

"You don't know though… I don't know." Yuya's voice was muffled by the palms of his hands. "They've never said anything about it before… what if they hate me for it Yuto?"

Yuto shushed him softly. "Don't talk like that," he whispered, "there's no way the people that brought _you_ up could hate anyone, let alone for something like this."

"But… what if they're really against it? What if they think I'm just a disappointment?"

"Why would they think that?"

"Because… I don't know. They might just think I'm going through a phase... Or they might want me to have a family with loads of kids or something."

"Don't worry, okay? They'll understand… and if not, we can make them understand. Just telling them how much you love me would be a good start."

A smile tugged at Yuya's lips. He loved Yuto more than anything. Maybe that would be enough to convince them if they weren't happy about it?

"…and Yuya?"

Yuto gently eased out of their hug and took hold of Yuya's hands, prying them away from his face.

Yuya blinked rapidly as he caught sight of Yuto's expression, a dusting of light pink having settled across his cheeks.

"I don't think the family thing would be an issue." Yuto batted his long eyelashes in a rare display of shyness. "I know I, well… we, can't exactly have kids in the traditional sense, but… there are ways to make it happen. If that is, well, urghh… something you'd want in the future."

Yuya didn't know what to say.

They'd only been officially together for a day and they were already talking about the possibility of children. It was definitely too soon, but he already knew what his answer was and would always be.

Biting his lip, he smiled and slowly nodded.

Yuto's own smiled widened considerably at his reaction. He took a quick step forwards and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

"I love you," he whispered, bringing his hand up to cup Yuya's cheek.

Yuya immediately leaned into his touch, closing his eyes and nuzzling the palm of his hand contently.

"I love you too."

A minute or so later, after their moment had passed, Yuto pulled back his hand and gave him an affectionate slap on the shoulder.

"Now how about we go see your parents."

Yuya nodded once more, a little more confident despite not knowing how this was going to play out. He started to walk in the direction of his home, with Yuto following close behind.

It didn't take long for Yuya's house to finally come into view.

Small and cosy, it fit snugly between the other homes that surrounded it, separated only by a well-trimmed hedge. The house itself was a simple shade of white, its windows tinted a light blue. It rose up from the ground to form a very strange shape, the glass extension attached to its front only adding to its irregularity.

Yuya and Yuto made their way towards it, with Yuya signalling to his boyfriend which of the houses was his.

Arriving at the foot of the garden, Yuya stepped onto the chequered brick path that wound its way towards the front door.

"I like your garden," Yuto mentioned as they walked, gesturing to the spread of grass and flora beside them.

It was lush and verdant, well worthy of Yuto's praise. The grass was a healthy green, flanked on either side by two very fruitful apple trees. The vast array of flowers that dotted the lawn's edge were also a perfect mix of colours, forming a beautiful, harmonious rainbow that lovingly hugged the outside of the house.

"My mum takes really good care of it," Yuya replied, stepping onto the welcome mat.

He stared at the door and swallowed. He felt a hand on his back, patting him gently.

"Go on," Yuto coaxed, "I'm right behind you, okay?"

Yuya took a deep breath… and knocked.

The wait was agonising as he stood, head up, chin raised, awaiting an answer. After a few painful moments, he heard the distinct sound of locks being undone. Yuya clenched his fists as the door soon swung open.

Stood in the doorway, was Yoko.

"Hey Mo-"

"YUYA MY BABY!"

Yuya yelped as he was brought into a bone crushing hug, his mum leaping forwards and squeezing the life out of him.

"MY BABY'S COME HOME!" she cried, shaking him like a ragdoll.

Eventually, she let him go and Yuya was finally able to breathe again. He inhaled sharply and blinked hard.

"It's nice to see you too, mum," he smiled, laughing a little as he did so.

Yoko beamed back at him. Catching a glimpse of Yuto, she stepped completely out of the doorway and past Yuya.

"Oh, and who's this?" she asked, giving Yuto her warmest smile.

"This is, errr... Yuto," Yuya started, "he's… umm, he's my-"

"Your roommate from Xyz, of course!" she interrupted, walking right up to him. "He looks so… like you." She eyed him closely, evidently fascinated.

Yuto looked uncomfortable, and she was quick to notice.

"Oh I'm sorry dear, where are my manners?" She grabbed at Yuto's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "I'm Yoko, Yuya's mum."

Yuto blinked back at her, before tentatively returning her handshake. "It's great to meet you, Mrs Sakaki."

"Oh please, call me Yoko!"

Yuto nodded and smiled.

"I can't believe we haven't met sooner! You two have been living together for what, three months now?"

"Something like that," Yuto laughed, shooting Yuya a quick glance. "Your son is really great to live with, he's very helpful and a great cook. Both of which I'm sure he gets from his mum."

"Oh Yuto you're too kind!" She turned to Yuya. "You were right Yuya, he really is quite something."

Yuya's face reddened.

"What was that?" Yuto asked, smirking.

Yoko turned back towards him, oblivious to Yuya's embarrassment.

"He's told me so much about you these past few months! When we speak on the phone you're all he ever talks about!"

"MUM!" Yuya cried. "You're embarrassing me!

"Oh, sorry dear." She scratched the back of her neck and laughed. "Well anyway, it's only ever nice things, so don't worry Yuto. From the sounds of it you're a great friend."

Yuto bit his lip to suppress a laugh.

"That's very kind," he smiled. He glanced back at Yuya, whose face was now as red as his hair.

Yoko gestured to the house. "Let's go inside, there's so much I want to ask you Yuto." She turned and headed through the doorway. Yuya shook his head and hid his face as Yuto strolled past him, eyebrows raised.

"How long are you here for boys?" Yoko asked as they passed through the hallway and into the living room, the sound of the door closing behind them making Yuto jump slightly.

"Till around seven," Yuya called from the hallway. "We have college tomorrow."

"That's very sensible," Yoko replied sweetly, leading Yuto to a set of cream white sofas in the middle of the room. She took a seat on one and gestured for Yuto to do the same on the other. Practically melting into it, he sat in the corner and lay his hand on the armrest. Yuya was quick to join him, sitting just next to him in its middle.

They were sat across from Yoko, looking out towards the windows of the conservatory. The sun was streaming in through the glass panes, warming her features. Bathed in light, she resembled an angel descended from the heavens themselves, her ethereal beauty and radiant smile melting Yuto's heart, pacifying any of his remaining nerves.

"So Yuto," she asked softly, "how are your studies going?"

"Really well thanks," he replied confidently. "It's been tough, but I really enjoy my course."

"Hmm, what was it you study again?"

"Medieval history."

"Oh yes, of course! How can I forget? From what Yuya tells me it's pretty heavy stuff!"

Yuto laughed and leaned forwards in his seat, enjoying Yoko's enthusiasm.

"It's a lot of essays and a lot of reading, but I manage."

"You're a hard worker for sure, are you getting the grades you want?"

"I am at the moment, A's and distinctions mostly."

Yoko clapped her hands together and beamed.

"That's wonderful! You really are as smart as Yuya says."

Yuto chuckled and glanced over at Yuya. He was blushing fiercely, his head turned so that his face was partly hidden behind his collar.

"And what about you Yuya?" Yoko asked a little more sternly. "Are you working hard?"

"I'm doing fine," he muttered, his voice muffled by his jacket.

Yoko rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Yuto.

"I don't mean to be rude Yuto, but can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Yuya told me how you two first met in Central Park, but he never mentioned what happened after that. I don't know a lot about what happened during the war, but did you fight with Yuya in the Synchro and Fusion dimensions?"

Yuto swallowed. Yuya sat up immediately, his face a picture of anxiety.

"I'm sorry if that's-"

"No no it's fine," Yuto assured her, smiling. "I made it through all the dimensions, in a way. I did fight alongside Yuya… and he always had my back. I'll be forever grateful for that."

Yuya breathed a sigh of relief whilst Yoko nodded in sincere appreciation. Before she could thank him, there was a knock on the door.

"Oh that'll be your Dad, Yuya," she exclaimed, surprised. Jumping up, she ran out into the hallway. "I just have to help him with some groceries, I'll be back in no time!"

Yuya looked over at Yuto. His smile had faded into a slight frown, and he was staring right at him. He knew that look. Taking a glass from the tray on the coffee table in front of them, he took a large gulp of water.

"Why didn't you tell her Yuya? Why didn't you tell her I spent so long inside of you?"

Yuya almost choked on his drink. Spluttering, he covered his mouth and tried his best to answer.

"Wh-What do you mean?" he coughed, setting the glass back down.

"You never told her about the whole sharing a body thing?"

"Oh… Did you have to say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like… never mind." Yuya sighed. "I didn't think she'd understand… hell even I don't understand. _We've_ barely talked about it either."

Yuto's expression softened. "I know. We probably should at some point."

The colour in Yuya's cheeks rose once again.

"There are some things I've been meaning to ask you about it, actually…" His ears pricked up as he heard the front door open and shut again. "…but they can wait. First, I have to tell my mum and dad about us. I have to."

Yuto placed a reassuring hand on his and smiled. "They're going to be fine with it, okay? I can tell. I'm here for you."

Yuya smiled and nodded.

A few seconds later, Yoko appeared from the hallway, bags of groceries in hand. Not too far behind her, was Yusho.

"Dad!" Yuya exclaimed upon seeing him.

"Ahh Yuya my son, great to see you!" He beamed at Yuya, before offering the same smile to Yuto. "And you must be Yuto. I've heard a lot about you! It's great to finally put a name to a face."

Yusho gave them both a wave with his free hand before strolling into the kitchen after Yoko. There was some idle chatter between the two before Yoko came back into the living room and took her seat once again.

Yuya fidgeted nervously in his seat. Both of his parents were finally here.

Coming out of the kitchen and into the living room, Yusho gave Yoko a quick peck on the cheek before moving towards the hallway. He stopped and leaned against the open door, car keys in hand.

Yuya's eyes widened.

"I hate to do this to you guys but I can't hang around unfortunately, I've got to run, Syuzo wants some help setting up the ARC system before tomorrow's classes." He raised his hand once again and gave them a friendly wave. "I'll see you all later on. It was nice meeting you Yu-"

"WAIT!" Yuya shouted desperately, reaching out a hand as if to try and stop him.

All eyes immediately turned to Yuya, causing him to retract his arm and drop his gaze to the floor in embarrassment.

"I need to tell you something," he whispered, not daring to lift his head.

Yusho blinked in surprise. Without another word, he closed the living room door and came to sit beside Yoko. He clasped his hands together and leaned forwards.

"What is it, son?" he asked, a little concerned. Yoko mimicked his pose, her own expression now matching his.

Yuya's heart was in his mouth. How were they going to take it? Would they be accepting and supportive? Or would they turn their backs on him?

His breathing quickened. What should he say? What kind of words should he use? Did it matter?

He began to panic. Questions he didn't have the answers to were flying around his head, sending a rush of anxiety trembling through this body. Doubt and uncertainty had latched onto his brain, making him think only of the worst possible outcomes. He balled his hands into fists and let out a slight whimper, tears beginning to well up in the corners of his eyes.

"Yuya?" Yuto's voice from beside him was laced with worry.

Remembering what Yuto had told him earlier, his arm shot out in an attempt to find his boyfriend's hand. His love for him was the only thing that mattered, he told himself as he grabbed hold of Yuto's hand and roughly interlaced their fingers, pushing their palms together and squeezing as hard as he could until their hands physically shook.

"I'm… I-I think I'm..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face and dropping silently onto the carpet below. "I'm… I'm…"

He screwed his eyes shut tight and focused on the warm feelings filtering through their hands, a stream of positive emotions now rippling across their bond. Love and affection poured into his body, filling his heart with courage.

There was something else there too, an emotion that he didn't expect. It came from deep within the recesses of Yuto's heart. Pure and unadulterated, it was the feeling he cherished the most. It gave him the confidence to lift his chin and look upon his parents with blurry but resolute eyes, ready and willing to profess his sexuality.

That emotion, was _pride_.

"Mum, Dad…" he smiled, his eyes wet and his lips trembling.

"…I'm gay."

Yoko and Yusho stared back at him, their mouths agape, eyes wide with surprise. They sat in stunned silence, visibly shocked by Yuya's admittance.

"Yuya…" Yoko finally managed, rising to her feet.

Yuya shakily did the same. He let go of Yuto's hand and stood resolutely in front of his mother, awaiting her reaction.

"…THAT'S WONDERFUL!" she cried, surging forwards and pulling him into a hug. Letting loose a torrent of tears, she wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders and held his head against her chest, letting Yuya cry softly into her shirt. "You're so brave honey, this must have been so hard for you."

Caught up in the emotion of it all, he couldn't bring himself to answer. He simply nodded, earning him another squeeze from Yoko.

"I'm really happy for you! You've finally accepted who you are, and I couldn't be prouder."

"She's right Yuya." Yusho was now on his feet and standing beside the two of them. He placed a hand on Yuya's head and patted his hair gently.

Yuya raised his head and glanced up at him.

"So… you're okay with it?"

"Of course we are!" Yusho beamed, ruffling his hair. "We support you 100%, okay? If there's one thing I've always tried to teach you, it's to follow your heart. That couldn't be more true when it comes to finding the person you love."

"In that case…" Yuya sniffed, pulling out of his embrace with Yoko. He looked to Yuto, who was now stood alongside him, tears in his eyes. Pawing at his hand, he took it in his own and held it up to show his parents. "…then I want you to meet my boyfriend."

Yoko practically squealed with delight. "MY BABY HAS A BOYFRIEND!"

"We haven't been dating for very long, but, my feelings for him go beyond anything I've ever felt for anyone before. I love him, and I always have."

"AWWW, YOU TWO ARE ADORABLE!" Yoko wailed, shaking her hands together with glee. Quick as a flash, she darted out of the room and into the hallway. "I'M GETTING THE CAMERA!"

"Mum! You're embarrassing me again!" Yuya protested, to no avail.

Yuto and Yusho laughed as Yuya bolted after her, leaving the two alone in the living room.

"Yuto…"

Yusho smiled warmly and extended his hand.

Yuto took it, shaking it firmly. Unexpectedly, he found himself being yanked forwards into a hug.

Yusho laughed jovially as they embraced, before finally letting him go. With a friendly wink, he clapped a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"…welcome to the family."


	13. Borrowed Time

Chapter 13: Borrowed Time

"Oh man, I'm so tired." Yuya stretched out his arms and legs, letting out an exaggerated yawn.

Beside him on the sofa, Yuto let out a small laugh. "Well we were up pretty early today."

"That Reiji!" Across from them, Yoko huffed and crossed her arms. "I ought to have a word with him, I don't care how old you all are now, my boys need their rest!"

Yuya shook his head and chuckled.

It had only been a few hours since he had come out to his parents, but to him, it felt like a lifetime ago. All the negative feelings and anxiety he had felt about the whole ordeal were like a distant memory, almost like he had never felt those things at all. Once the weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he had never felt so at home in his entire life. His parents had not only accepted him with open arms, but they had accepted Yuto too, treating him as if he was already a part of their family.

Since Yuya's confession, he and Yuto had spent the morning sat in the living room, talking to Yoko and Yusho about anything and everything. It was surreal, but at the same time, completely _normal_.

"Did you manage to have some breakfast before you came?" Yusho asked, smiling at Yoko's overly concerned mother routine.

Yuya and Yuto both shook their heads.

"Right, that settles it. We're having an early lunch!" Yoko jumped up out of her seat, grabbing her camera of the coffee table.

Yuya sighed audibly. Having been subjected to countless photos over the past few hours, he had had quite enough of posing for Yoko's new family album. He hated having his picture taken. It didn't help that Yuto had a habit of telling him how beautiful he looked just before each photo. It was sweet and all, but he couldn't help but get all hot and flustered. So now, in every single photo Yoko had taken, he resembled something of a ripe tomato.

"Do you really need to bring the camera when we're eating lunch?" he groaned, rising to his feet.

"Of course I do! I'm making sundae for dessert, it's a perfect opportunity to get a few snaps of you two sweethearts together!"

"Mum!"

Yuto laughed as Yuya hid his face in embarrassment, something he'd done far too many times already today.

Yoko grinned and waved them into the kitchen. "Would you both like to help out?"

Yuya was about to reply _yes_ for the both of them, but he stopped himself, his mind wandering back to something he'd said to Yuto earlier.

"Umm, I was hoping to show Yuto my room actually… is that okay?"

"Oh, of course dear that's okay, you go and have some alone time with your boyfriend." Yoko winked and patted him on the shoulder. Yuya grabbed Yuto's hand and hurriedly pulled him out of the door and into the corridor, his face on fire. "Just make sure you're back down here in fifteen minutes!"

"I'm so sorry about that," Yuya mumbled, keeping his head low and dragging Yuto up the stairs.

"It's okay," Yuto laughed, "your mum is hilarious, I love her already."

Leading Yuto up onto the landing and past his parent's room, Yuya pushed open the door to his bedroom and pulled his boyfriend inside. Yuto sauntered on over to his bed and perched on its edge, his eyes darting around the room trying to take it all in.

"I really like your room…" he said, his gaze lingering on the huge poster of Yusho covering his wall.

"Oh, thanks," Yuya replied hastily, locking the door behind him.

"…but that's not why you brought me up here, is it?"

Yuya pressed his back to the door and sighed. "No, not exactly." Reluctantly pushing off the door, his head bowed, he came to sit beside him. He crossed his legs and shifted his body so that he was facing him, his eyes downcast. "Today has been amazing, more than I could have asked for really, but there's something I need to ask you about, something we mentioned earlier."

Yuto reached out an arm and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Is this about the whole sharing a body thing?"

Yuya nodded but didn't raise his head. He tapped his fingers on the duvet restlessly, his body temperature rising slightly in response to Yuto's words. "I know this isn't the time or the place to talk about it, but-"

"It's okay, Yuya. If something's bothering you about it that much then it's better to talk about it now rather than later." Yuto gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. "What is it that's worrying you?"

"It's silly but…" He could feel his face heating up, the tops of his ears beginning to burn. "…when you were inside my head, did you… see things?"

"What do you mean? Like what?"

"Like… _you know_." Yuya lifted his head slightly and looked upon Yuto, his eyes wide, begging for him to understand.

After a few awkward moments, Yuto finally caught on. "Ohhh okay, I get it. You mean your body." Yuya nodded fervently. "Well, yeah, I guess? When I was in there I saw what you saw."

"Ok." Yuya took a deep breath. "Did you see all of it?"

Now it was Yuto's turn to look embarrassed. He blinked back at him, a coy smile now tugging at his lips. "Most," he hinted, his gaze finding the wall.

"Did you… like it?"

Yuto looked back at him, a little surprised. "Is this what's bothering you?"

"Just answer, please… and be honest." Yuya scratched the back of his neck nervously and stared at the bed, doing his best to avoid Yuto's gaze.

He had always been insecure about his body. Even from a young age, he had tried to hide it from other people. He knew how pale and thin he was, how weak and pathetic he looked. It made him feel inadequate, as if his bony hips and flat stomach somehow made him less of a man. As he grew up, this insecurity only made him anxious about the rest of his body too.

He felt a pair of reassuring hands take a gentle hold of his face, palms softly cupping his cheeks. "Yuya... of course I like your body." Yuto eased his head up, forcing him to look his boyfriend in the eye. "It's beautiful, _your_ beautiful. When I say I love you, I mean I love all of you, including your body."

Yuya bit his lip and looked down. "Even my…?"

"Yes, even that." Yuto edged himself closer and pulled him into a warm embrace, his chin coming to rest on his shoulder.

"I was afraid you wouldn't like it," Yuya whispered, hugging him back tightly.

Yuto pulled back and tilted his head to the side, his mouth now centimetres from his ear. "Let me show you," he whispered, his hot breath drifting over his lobe and down his neck.

Yuya stiffened, his body freezing up. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I want to show you how much I really like _it_ … and how much I really like you."

Yuya let out a low whine as Yuto pressed his lips to the sensitive skin just below his ear, their delicate warmth catching him off guard. He kissed at it softly, the movement of his mouth slow and sensual. Yuya found himself leaning into his boyfriend's touch, pushing his body closer until they were chest to chest.

"But we can't…" he breathed, his voice wavering. "Th-There's no time."

"I don't care," Yuto whispered, planting another tender kiss along his jawline. "I want to make you feel good."

Yuya whined once more as Yuto tangled a hand in his hair and pulled, tilting his head upwards. It hurt a little, but the pain only seemed to add to the growing excitement. Yuto's reasoning for doing so became clear as his mouth moved downwards from his jaw and to his neck, his rough lips dragging wonderfully over his smooth skin.

His kisses were quicker and much fiercer now, as if Yuya's pale and inviting skin had awoken something inside him. Imbued with passion and almost blinded with desire, he layered his neck with kisses, up and down, his teeth grazing at his soft flesh.

"I… we… _no time_ ," Yuya protested again, his words leaving his mouth as sharp, individual breaths.

Yuto was having none of it. He roughly grabbed Yuya by the shirt and pushed him backwards onto the bed, a lustful pant escaping his lips.

"I'll be quick," he breathed, taking up a position between his legs and pushing them apart. "Please, just let me do this for you."

Yuya's breath hitched as he felt Yuto's strong hands on his hips, the tips of his fingers slipping just under the beltline of his pants. Excitement rushed through his body, his mind knowing exactly what was going to happen next.

Yuto hooked his fingers under the fabric of both his pants and his underwear, ready to pull them both down at once.

A heat began to bubble in Yuya's stomach, radiating up and outwards, causing his hands to shake and his fingers to tingle. That feeling quickly rose all the way to his head, clouding his mind with a hazy fog that seemed to block out any of his rational thoughts. He couldn't think straight anymore. Desire and want overwhelmed his senses, overriding even his most basic of fears. All his insecurities, his worries, his anxieties… they were all disappearing, leaving just one thing on his mind: Yuto.

"Yuto…" he moaned, his voice thick with a rapacious lust. "…just fucking do it, please."

Yuto didn't need telling twice. With one swift movement, he yanked Yuya's pants and underwear down to his ankles before forcefully pulling them off and discarding them to the floor. Yuya now lay before him, his bottom half completely bare.

"Fucking hell Yuya… you're a lot bigger than I remember." Yuto pushed his legs apart once more and eagerly leaned over him, ready to go to work.

Even through the heat in his cheeks, Yuya felt himself blush at the comment. He bit his lip as Yuto's hands began to wander, his fingers trailing lines up his ankles and then his thighs. Unable to control himself, he clutched at the bedsheets and tensed, his now fully hard cock twitching wildly, already desperate for relief.

Yuto smirked and grasped at it firmly, his long fingers curling around the shaft. Yuya let out a heavy moan, the sudden tight sensation sending a jolt of pleasure rippling through this body. His eyes fluttered shut. Yuto started to stroke him lightly, his movements deliberately slow. He slid his hand up and down the shaft, taking care not to graze the tip.

"You like that?" he asked, smirking.

Yuya didn't reply. His quick, shallow breathing did the answering for him. Yuto laughed slightly and continued to pump his cock, now at a much quicker pace. He observed Yuya's expression, a mix of pleasure and frustration, as his hand moved tantalising closer to the tip.

Yuya tensed again and rolled his hips, his cock now dripping with precum. Yuto had an idea. Using his free hand, he gently squeezed its throbbing head and gave it a slight twist, lathering his index and forefinger in the warm fluid. Yuya cried out once more, Yuto's name escaping his lips in a breath of excitement.

Yuto wasted no time in grabbing the underside of Yuya's thigh and attempting to hike his leg up. His body working on its own, Yuya complied, bending his knees and bowing his legs, exposing his tight, pink entrance.

Yuto inhaled sharply at the sight. "You are so fucking hot," he breathed, his hand still wrapped tightly around his boyfriend's cock.

Yuya mewled as Yuto brought his slick fingers to his entrance, the contact alone racking his body with pleasure. Pushing and probing, he teased the sensitive area around his twitching hole, coating it in fluid.

"Yuto please…" Yuya begged, squirming under his touch.

Yuto smiled to himself. He was in complete control… and he loved it.

With their limited time ever-present in the back of his mind, he reluctantly stopped teasing and began to pump his cock again at a similar pace to before. Knowing it would bring Yuya to the brink, he slowly pushed a finger into his hole.

Yuya cried out as Yuto's finger disappeared up to the knuckle. He didn't know what to expect, given that he'd never done or felt anything like this before. It was uncomfortable, a little painful even, and yet it felt strangely pleasurable.

Yuto carefully worked his finger in and out, his other hand busily stroking at his cock. Yuya moaned as his body began to relax and adjust to the sensation. It felt amazing, but with only one finger, he felt slightly unfulfilled. He wanted more. He wanted more of the pain, more of the pleasure… and he wanted something bigger. He wanted Yuto to dominate him, to fill him entirely, to fuck him until all he knew was the feeling of Yuto's cock inside him.

"Fuck me…" he moaned desperately, "please…"

Yuto bit his lip to suppress a moan of his own. Just hearing Yuya talk like that sent shivers down his spine.

As much as he wanted to fuck him though, he knew they weren't quite ready for that just yet. This was their first time getting intimate together after all. He would just have to get him off a different way.

Slowing his strokes, he gently eased another finger inside him, this time with little resistance. Yuya tightened around them, his body rebelling against the intrusion. Yuto pushed them further in and pulled them apart, stretching him considerably.

Yuya again cried out, the pain a little too much for him. Yuto stopped for a moment out of concern.

"Don't stop," Yuya demanded, his voice shaking. He pushed his hips down forcefully, burying Yuto's fingers in the wet heat of his hole. He breathed desperately, his insides quivering as Yuto began to roughly thrust his fingers in and out, his strokes getting quicker.

Yuya was close. He wanted to hold out, to last longer in the hope of Yuto giving in and fucking him, but it was getting to be too much.

Yuto could feel the tension building up inside him… his tightening muscles, the pulsing of his cock. He was almost at his breaking point. Yuto started to stroke at his entire length, sliding his hand over the sensitive tip and giving it a rough twist. Stroking and thrusting faster and faster, his fingers penetrating deeper and deeper, he watched Yuya come apart underneath him, begging for his release.

Yuya was panting uncontrollably now, the tight knot in his stomach about to unravel, his mind ready to snap.

"Oh Yuto!" he screamed, his boyfriend's fingers finding the right angle and striking a spot of intense pleasure he didn't know he had.

Yuya couldn't hold it any longer.

His back arched and he screamed wildly, finally letting go, his body succumbing to the pleasure, his mind surrendering itself unto Yuto.

The pooled heat in his stomach suddenly erupted from within, hot cum spilling from his cock and covering his sweat-soaked shirt. He started to shake uncontrollably as pure satisfaction swept through his body, sharp jolts of pleasure rippling up his abdomen with every spasm of his muscles. His cock throbbed and pulsed, his insides quivering and clenching around Yuto's penetrating fingers.

Bucking and rolling his hips, he desperately rode it out, that feeling of pure bliss slowly dissipating into fuzzy waves of contentment. They washed over him, spreading a wonderful, intense heat throughout his body. The spasms soon came to a stop, his lower half loosening as he came down from his peak.

Revelling in the warm afterglow of his orgasm, he smiled to himself and sighed dreamily.

Yuto eased his fingers out gently and released his cock, giving it a light kiss before he did so. Yuya giggled and squirmed away from him.

"You know, you should probably change your shirt," Yuto smirked, grasping his legs and pulling him back down the bed. "And put some pants on."

Yuya laughed and grabbed at his collar, pulling him down into a passionate kiss. "I love you," he whispered, grinning as Yuto tried to avoid contact with his shirt.

"I love you too."

Yuto eventually rolled off of him and lay down beside him. "You were so loud…" he grinned, staring up at the ceiling.

"What did you expect?" Yuya couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess I would have been to… you have no idea how much I wanted to fuck you."

Yuya's breath caught in his throat. He could feel his spent cock start to twitch and stir. He tried to pull the hem of his shirt over it in an attempt to hide it, but it was little use.

"Maybe next ti-"

There was a knock at the door, followed by a loud voice.

"…YUYA!"

Both boys froze.

It was Yoko!

Yuya shot off the bed and grabbed his pants from the floor, whilst Yuto laughed uncontrollably beside him.

"I'll handle this," he grinned, squeezing his shoulder and heading to the door. Unlocking it, he opened it a crack and slid outside, shutting it behind him.

Yuya scrambled to get dressed, thankful for Yuto's intervention. He could hear his and Yoko's voices outside the door, so he went as fast he could, pulling his pants on and tossing aside his soaked shirt.

As he was pulling a new one over his head, he heard the door open again and someone walk in. It was Yuto…

…and he wasn't smiling.

"Yuto what's wrong?" he asked, immediately sensing something was off.

Yuto didn't answer. He wore a sombre expression, his previously pink and flushed face now a ghostly white. He stood by the door, his eyes downcast.

"Yuto what is it?" Yuya repeated, worry creeping into his voice.

"Something's happened," he said quietly.

"What?"

"It was just on the news… there's been an explosion."

Yuya took a step back.

 _An explosion?_

"Here?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Downtown," Yuto replied, "by one of the ARC system power stations for the city. They don't know how bad it is yet."

"We need to get down there, now." Yuya tried to push past Yuto to get to the door, but he wouldn't let him pass.

"Yuya three people have died already and hundreds have been injured…"

"This has to be _them_ , Yuto. We need to go." Yuya tried to open the door.

"Yuya just stop! Please." Yuto slammed the door shut and took hold of Yuya's hand. "I don't know how to tell you this but… your mum just got a call from Syuzo… Syuzo Hiiragi."

"What… what are you saying?" Yuya paled, his chest tightening.

"Yuya… it's Yuzu. She's in the hospital."


	14. Collateral Damage

Chapter 14: Collateral Damage

Yuya sat, wide-eyed, staring aimlessly at the wall. Around him, chaos.

Doctors and nurses called to one another urgently, their desperate voices echoing around the room, patients and their loved ones crying and pleading for their attention.

Hospital waiting rooms were supposed to be places of quiet contemplation, but today in Maiami General Hospital, this was certainly not the case.

It needn't have mattered though. Yuya had done enough contemplation on the way over here. There was nothing to think about anymore, his conscious was clear.

 _Yuzu…_

To him, the _how_ and the _why_ didn't matter. All he wanted was to see her again…

 _…and to see her smile again._

Yuya swallowed the lump in his throat and took a quick look around him. From his position in the corner, he could see the waiting room in its entirety, and in grim detail.

It was filled to the brim with the walking wounded, their broken bodies slumped unceremoniously on the furniture and floors. They occupied every possible space, as well as the stretchers and beds that had been brought in to cope with the extra influx of casualties.

Although in varying states of injury, all these men and women shared the same reason for being here: they were victims of the downtown bombing that had already claimed the lives of three people.

Yuya glanced at Yuto who was squeezed in beside him. His hands were clasped tightly together, his eyes downcast.

"I've seen this all before," he started, feeling his gaze.

Yuya bit his lip. There was certainly an uneasy familiarity about the whole situation. Not just because of the nature of the threat, but because of _who_ had gotten hurt, because of…

"… _Yuzu_ ," he whispered, burying his face in his hands. He immediately felt an arm around his shoulders, but it did little to dull the pain in his heart.

"She's going to be alright," Yuto promised, "just you wait and see."

"Yuto I-" Yuya stopped himself. He knew there was no point arguing. He understood that he couldn't have done anything to save her. It was what he could do _now_ , what he should be doing, that really got to him. "They said it wasn't an accident," he resumed, speaking into his palms.

"We don't know that for sure, and even if it was… _them_ , there's nothing we can do about it now."

Yuya rose his feet, shrugging off Yuto's arm. He balled his hands into fists until they shook with righteous anger. "We should be down there right now. We have to find them and make them pay for what they've done."

"And we will…" Yuto got to his feet and embraced him gently from behind. "…but for now you should be here. Yuzu will need you."

Yuya let out a shaky sigh. He turned to face him, his boyfriend refusing to let go of his waist.

"I haven't seen her in nearly six months Yuto. Why would she want to see me, really?"

"Because you're her friend Yuya. She needs you. It doesn't matter if you haven't spoken in a while. I know how close you two were, nothing will have changed." Yuto smiled warmly. "Plus she'll definitely want to see that smile of yours."

Yuya closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against his chest. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this," he whispered, his voice breaking. "She wasn't meant to be involved."

Yuto moved his arms up around Yuya's back and held him close. "She's going to be alright, okay?" His voice was firm and unwavering, just what Yuya needed right now.

"… _Yuya?_ "

A voice from across the room rang out through the chaos, calling his name. He pulled away from Yuto and turned around, instantly recognising it. Sure enough, he quickly spotted the familiar orange and red jumpsuit that came with it.

Grabbing Yuto's hand, Yuya half-ran and half-jogged through the masses of people, ignoring calls from Yuto to be careful.

It didn't take long for him to reach his old teacher, who now stood leaning against the door he had just come out of. He looked exhausted, his usually lively eyes dull and tired, his expression weary. He had been crying.

"Yuya it's been a long time." He offered him a glum smile.

"Syuzo is she okay? Where is she?"

"She came out of surgery about an hour ago."

"S-Surgery?"

Syuzo's expression fell, his smile replaced by an anxious frown. He swallowed as if to suppress his emotions. "The explosion… it knocked her into the road and she hit her head. Her brain… it started to bleed."

Tears welled in Yuya's eyes. "But she's okay now, right?" he choked desperately. "They fixed her. Everything's fine?"

Syuzo covered his face with his arm and shook his head, fighting back tears. "She's stable but she fell into a coma right after the surgery. They don't know when she'll wake up."

Yuya blinked back at him. He tried to speak, but he couldn't find the right words. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks as Yuto turned to him and grabbed his hand, leading him away. He eventually stopped and clamped a hand down onto his shoulder.

"Yuya look at me." He tilted his chin up so that their eyes were level. "She's going to be fine, okay? She's going to wake up."

Through blurry eyes, Yuya could see the belief in Yuto's firm expression. It wasn't enough however. He simply felt too much uncertainty.

He shook his head, refusing to meet Yuto's gaze.

"You can't lose hope!" Yuto shouted. "Not now. Not when she's in the other room fighting for her life." He took his hand back from his shoulder. "The least you can do is fight with her."

"I want to… but I'm really scared Yuto."

"It's okay to be scared. What isn't okay is losing hope. You can't give up, you just can't… Yuzu hasn't."

 _He was right._

Yuzu hadn't given up. So why should he?

He raised his head timidly and nodded. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he gave Yuto's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll fight for her…" he whispered.

"Then tell her that. She'd want to know you're there beside her." Yuto smiled and tugged on his hand, pulling him back towards Yuzu's room.

Syuzo offered them both a weak smile as they approached. "Yuto, is it?" he asked, turning to him.

"Yes." Yuto smiled and extended his hand. Syuzo took it and nodded.

"You can see her, if you like."

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah… I know she's not awake yet, but I have a feeling she'd appreciate having you two close by." He opened the door and gestured for them to head inside.

Yuto thanked him graciously before turning to Yuya.

"Go ahead. I'll be right behind you."

Not letting go of his hand, Yuya took a deep breath and walked slowly inside.

With the curtains drawn and the lights switched off, the room was strangely dark. Even so, Yuya could still make out the large hospital bed in the middle of the room. Glowing intermittently beside it was a heart rate monitor. It cast a waning light over the bed, bathing its occupant in an eerie green glow.

"I'm not sure I can do this," Yuya whispered, stopping abruptly. He couldn't see her face yet, but a flash of pink hair had been enough to give him second thoughts.

"You can. I'm here for you." Yuto smiled before turning to close the door quietly behind them.

Yuya took a deep breath and crept forwards, each step taking him closer to the bed. Yuzu's face soon came in to view. He let out a muffled cry at the sight, his hand clamping down over his mouth to in an attempt to suppress the noise. Yuto was quick to comfort him.

Yuzu's head was wrapped in bandages, her hair pushed up to the side in a messy ponytail. A thick piece of gauze covered half her face, hiding any wounds beneath.

"She looks well," Yuto assured him. "Like she's just sleeping."

" _Sleeping_ …" Yuya repeated to himself.

She did look surprisingly peaceful. She was so still and calm and yet so very much alive, her chest rising and falling gracefully with each breath she took. It gave Yuya hope.

He stood beside the bed, unsure now of what to say.

"Yuzu…" he whispered.

No response.

He reached for her hand and took it in his. It was warm to the touch.

"Yuzu I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm so so sorry…" His voice breaking, he squeezed her hand desperately. "I know that probably doesn't mean much coming from me, but I really am. I should have gotten in touch with you sooner. If I had, maybe _this_ wouldn't have happened… I just want you to know that when you wake up I'll be here, and I'll tell you every-"

The door burst open, almost flying off its hinges.

In ran a familiar face, one neither Yuya or Yuto had seen in a long time.

They both looked at each other, stunned.

" _Serena?!_ "

The girl in question raced past them towards Yuzu before frantically kneeling at her bedside. She pawed at her hand, her own hands visibly shaking.

Yuya wasn't sure what to make of it. He knew the two of them were close, but he thought Serena was still in the Fusion dimension. What was she doing here?

He wasn't about to ask. She looked to be even more upset than he was. Her whole body was shaking as if she was trying not to cry, but it was obvious how much this was really affecting her. She hadn't even acknowledged his or Yuto's presence yet.

After a few awkward minutes, Yuto decided to speak up.

"Serena," he repeated, stepping forwards.

Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Serena finally stood up and turned to meet them.

"It's been a long time," she smiled weakly, pushing her damp bangs from her eyes.

Yuya felt a pang of guilt. He didn't want to be reminded of that.

"It's good to see you." He returned her smile, albeit just as meekly.

There was a moment of silence as they all looked around nervously, trying to avoid the obvious.

"So… do you live in Standard now?" Yuto eventually asked.

"I moved here a couple months ago actually, I wanted to be closer to, well…" She bit her lip and glanced at Yuzu. "I wanted a change of scenery is all." She looked around nervously, avoiding eye contact.

Yuto nodded his head, not wishing to push it any further.

"What about you two? Why are you here? Don't you live in Xyz?"

Yuya and Yuto glanced at each other.

 _Should they tell her the truth?_

Yuto looked unsure, but Yuya's mind was made up.

He didn't care what Reiji had said, not anymore, not after what had happened.

He offered Yuto a nod, which, after a moment of hesitation, he returned approvingly.

"We… we're here because Reiji sent us."

"Reiji? Why?"

"Something happened back in Xyz… A group calling themselves 'Neo-Fusion' attacked us and tried to kill us, so he sent us here to find any info on them."

Serena looked visibly shaken. She pushed a hand through her hair and leaned against the bed for support. "Fusion… I don't understand, the Professor is gone and we're at peace now."

"I'll explain later, but for now-"

"Was this them?" She interrupted. "The explosion I mean."

"We… we don't know."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" The tone of her voice was harsher now. It made Yuya feel uneasy.

"Only Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, Reiji and I know about it," he explained.

"You mean… you didn't even tell Yuzu?"

Yuya looked away, ashamed.

Serena's whole demeanour changed in an instant. Practically diving across the room, she grabbed Yuya by the collar and pushed him against the wall.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks, her mouth now twisted into an aggressive frown. "This is your fault!" she screamed, her grip tightening. "If she'd have known she would never have gotten hurt!"

"That's enough," Yuto barked, grabbing her by the shoulders and yanking her backwards.

Yuya stood staring at the floor, his back slumped against the wall, tears forming in his eyes.

"You're right."

"No, she isn't Yuya." Yuto let go of Serena and turned to address them both. "Regardless of whether we had told Yuzu, it wouldn't have changed a damn thing. We don't know if the explosion has anything to do with Neo-Fusion, and even if it did, how would Yuzu knowing about their presence have changed anything? Just like all those other people out there in the waiting room, she was caught up in this by accident."

Silence descended upon the room once more as Yuya and Serena ruminated quietly over what Yuto had had to say. It was Serena who finally spoke.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have lashed out like that. I know this isn't your fault Yuya, I'm just… I want Yuzu to be ok is all." She moved on over to Yuya and placed a hand on his arm.

He nodded and pulled her into a hug. He looked at Yuto over her shoulder, who smiled back at him proudly.

"It's ok," Yuya sniffed. "I understand. I know how-"

A bleeping sound rang out from the duel disk on his arm, startling the three of them. Yuya quickly pulled out of their embrace and checked the display.

 _Incoming call._

"Is that Reiji?" Serena asked.

Yuya nodded.

"Answer it, it has to be important."

He pushed a button to answer the call.

" _Yuya? This is urgent, are you there?_ " Reiji's voice was as emotionless and foreboding as always.

"Yeah I'm here."

" _And Yuto?_ "

"Yes." Yuya looked to Serena. She shook her head slowly. He nodded in understanding.

" _Listen, I heard about the explosion over there. It must have occurred to you that this is Neo-Fusion's doing, am I right?_ "

"We're not sure."

" _Well I am. The building was no ordinary building, Yuya. It was one of two ARC system power stations in the city._ "

"What are you saying?"

" _That it was targeted."_

Yuya looked around him. Their fears had been realised, but neither Yuto nor Serena looked to be afraid.

"W-What do you want us to do?"

" _If this attack really was Neo-Fusion's doing, then their plan would seem to revolve around destroying or at least disabling the ARC system. If they take out both stations, then that's exactly what will happen._ _The other station is currently still operational. It's likely you'll find them there._ "

"But that makes no sense," Yuto interjected, "why would they blow one up and not the other? Why wouldn't they do it at the same time?"

" _…_ "

"Reiji?"

" _I don't know. All I can think of is that it's some kind of trap."_

"And you want us to go in there anyway?"

" _You're the only two I can trust_."

Yuto looked to be thinking hard about his request. He eventually shook his head.

"It's too dangerous. If some-"

"We'll do it." Yuya's interruption caught Yuto by surprise.

" _Alright. Good luck_."

Reiji ended the call, leaving Yuya and Yuto staring each other down.

"Yuya this is suicide."

"I know its dangerous but we have to do this," Yuya argued. "For Yuzu."

Yuto opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. Instead he reached for Yuya's hand and took it in his own. He sighed and smiled.

"There's no way I could ever convince you otherwise, is there?"

Yuya shook his head.

"Alright then… _for Yuzu_."

"Don't think you two are going alone." Serena stepped forwards and cracked her knuckles.

"Are you sure Serena?"

She nodded. "I don't know who these people are, but one thing's for sure: if they've hurt Yuzu, I'm going to kill them myself."

Yuya and Yuto smiled at one another.

"Better not keep them waiting then," Yuto grinned.

She nodded once more and smirked. Turning back towards Yuzu, she leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. She whispered something inaudible before turning to leave. Yuto followed her, letting go of Yuya's hand.

Yuya lingered slightly until they were out the door. He swallowed hard. Clenching his fingers, he took one last look at Yuzu.

"We'll get these guys Yuzu… _I promise_."


End file.
